Bump in the Road
by Niamh St. George
Summary: Sometimes Fate intervenes in mysterious ways. For example, on four wheels.
1. Prologue

Title: Bump in the Road 

Authors: Everstar and Niamh St. George 

Summary: Sometimes Fate intervenes in mysterious ways. For example, on four wheels. 

Rating: Violence, implied sexual situations 

Note: The universe is neither anime nor manga, specifically, but a little bit of both. Characters not mentioned in the anime are mentioned here, but, by and large, events follow the anime. We have decided to acknowledge certain manga spoilers, having to do with specific characters (namely Akito). 

**A Bump in the Road  
Prologue**

I am not a dog. 

First and foremost, I'm a man. I operate in society like a man. I think like a man. I live, day to day, like a man. 

Or, I should say, I do... most of the time. 

While I'm not _a_ dog, I am _the_ Dog. 

Other dogs recognize it -- I am the Alpha male of an unfathomably large pack, and while I admit I feel a certain, instinctive... _pull_ at times, I know that I do not belong with them. Unfortunately, I don't really belong around most people, either, which is a shame, really, since I rather like people. If I'm around them, it's to fulfill a purpose -- to achieve what I require. 

What's even more unfortunate is that if I _were_ a dog (and not a man), I know in the darkest part of my soul that I would be no loving, loyal family pet. I am not _canis familiaris_, no matter what most of my family may think. Oh, I might've been at one time, maybe. But that's a child's voice, drowned out forever. 

A dog -- a true _canis familiaris_ -- is loyal. The only person I'm loyal to is myself. I lie. I cheat. I have made an art of deception and duplicity. I use people, like the stray takes advantage of sympathy, empathy, and generosity. 

It's not that I don't want to _be_ loyal. It's that I can't. The one I call Master is not my master. She wants to be. She pretends to be. But she's not. She's too dangerous to be anyone's master. But I let her think that she is. Call it my survival instinct. 

I'm not even loyal to the ones with whom I have been entrusted. Again, I want to be -- I do, but it's an impossibility at this point. I have chosen my route, and I must stick to it, for better or worse. I try not to think about it too much; I leave that to those who are better at caring for others. 

Out of idle curiosity, I read an article once about feral dogs. It was informative enough, in a completely unhelpful sort of way. Well, unhelpful for _me_. 

The article advised keeping them away from anything valuable -- crops, poultry, or livestock. Put up fences. Lay down traps. The feral dog can't be trusted. It may look like someone's pet, and may even _act_ like someone's pet if necessary, but it's not. It's not what it appears at all; people must protect themselves against the feral dog. Don't feed it; don't invite it in to your home, thinking it's only a stray that's lost its family. It doesn't have one. 

It's good advice -- sound advice. But it didn't tell me what I really wanted to know. 

How long does it take for a stray or abandoned dog to become feral? 

Can it ever come back? 


	2. Chptr One: Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair

A Bump in the Road

Chapter One: Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair

A/N: Thanks to the lovely Aoi Tsuki for beta-reading. She's perfectly brutal, and we love her perfectly. Now, before either of us forget, there are a few matters we need to address (we promise that this will be the only A/N of a ridiculous length -- forgive us, please):

1. Neither of us own Furuba in any way, shape or form. I mean, we own the DVDs and the manga, but the idea totally belongs to Takaya Natsuki, Tokyo Pop, Funimation, and Hana to Yume. We're just borrowing the gang for a spell. We'll give 'em back. Honest.

2. How to put this diplomatically? Every story needs a villain, and ours is Akito. If you can't handle Akito being ... well, _evil,_ this story's not for you. Also, though we do acknowledge the Very Special Spoiler regarding everyone's favorite god, this story is not an Akito/Shigure pairing. There is Shigure/Akito action, but the story is NOT Shigure/Akito.

3. "A Bump in the Road" will feature not one, but eventually two OC's. No, we're not kidding. This may just be Niamh's MO -- we're not sure, really. Or maybe it's just that the two of us are striving to eradicate the Mary-Sue, one fandom at a time. They're OC's, but not Mary-Sues. Trust us. The moment either of them display signs of Mary-Sue'ism, Aoi has been instructed to beat us with something large, blunt, and very heavy. And we don't want to be beaten.

4. We've already mentioned that this story uses elements from both the anime _and_ the manga, and that characters present in the manga (but not the anime) either appear or are referenced. This is important. Please don't forget this. The story is neither anime-centric or manga-centric. It's both.

5. Oh, and if you're biting your nails over whether the story is "Kyouru" or "Yukiru," your wait is over: Kyou/Tohru.

Now that we've got that unpleasantness out of the way, on with the show!

Chapter One: Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair

_And, which is worse, all you have done  
__Hath been but for a wayward son,  
__Spiteful and wrathful; who, as others do,  
__Loves for his own ends, not for you._

Macbeth, III.iv.10-13

Shigure sighed; it was going to be a long day.

The novelist knelt by a small cluster of shrubs, pruning shears held loosely in his hand. He watched Yuki's form grow smaller as every step took him further and further away from the house. He knew as well as anyone that a summons from Akito wasn't a thing to be ignored. _Akito_ would not be ignored.

An "invitation" to the main house was typically less than auspicious for any Juunishi, but for the Rat it was a different story entirely. For Yuki, such an order was cause for fear.

Lowering dark eyes to the bushes, he clipped slowly, trimming back the dead and dying branches to allow room for new growth. Even now, waxy green leaves were pushing their way forward on young limbs. It was early still, and a persistent chill hovered in the air, but spring would not be deterred -- delayed occasionally, but never deterred.

Despite his concern for his younger cousin, Shigure couldn't quite ignore the small twinge of excitement in the pit of his stomach. What did Akito's summons portend? What new move was the head of the Sohma family going to make? And what did it mean for the eternal game in which they all were locked?

A dark smile touched the Dog's mouth for a moment. _I do believe it'll be fascinating to find out._

_.  
._

All over the Sohma estate, the sakura trees were coming alive with tiny buds that would soon burst into bloom, softening what remained of winter's hard edges. Though frost seemed to cling to the earth, springtime hovered just beneath the surface, appearing in scattered clumps of new grass, the vibrant green bringing life to the dead, brown blades.

There was life beyond the walls of the main house, life beyond the walls of Akito's apartments. But here -- here hung the oppressive veil of sickness. Here, death was imminent.

Yuki _hated_ this room.

But here he knelt, hands braced against his legs, eyes trained on the tatami. One did not ignore Akito -- one did not go against Akito's wishes. So, whether Yuki liked it or not, when he got word that Akito wished to speak with him, he had very little choice in the matter.

At the moment, his only small comfort came with the knowledge that in a few scant months, he would be far from Sohma house, far from Akito, ensconced at the University of Kyoto. Even though it meant leaving Honda-san as well, from the moment his acceptance letter had arrived, she'd spoken of nothing but how wonderful the news was, how happy she was for him -- how _excited_ she was.

And yet, lurking just beneath the reassuring warmth of her smile was a sliver of sadness. It made him feel hideously selfish, but Yuki was sure that if he had declined the scholarship, Honda-san would have blamed herself for his decision. Yuki knew her well enough to understand that she only wanted her friends to be happy, regardless of her own happiness.

He gave himself a mental shake, and a voice that sounded annoyingly like Kyou's ribboned through his mind. _She'll be all right if you're not there. Despite reports to the contrary, the sun doesn't rise and set on you, nezumi._

Akito moved on the futon, and the soft whisper of shifting material was loud in the silent room. The noise sent Yuki's thoughts scattering like marbles. Blinking, he snuck a glance at the head of the family.

Akito sat quietly by the open shoji door, staring outside; a tiny white bird was perched on his finger, and it held his full attention. Silence hung in the air for what felt like hours, until the Sohma turned his head slightly, finally choosing to acknowledge the Rat's presence.

A faint smile lit his pale lips. "I'm glad to see you still remember your duties to the family, Yuki."

Yuki swallowed hard, lifting his eyes to regard Akito through the fall of his bangs. The external calm that so many believed to be natural faltered for a moment as Yuki strove to maintain his equilibrium. When he spoke, his voice was soft, bland, and noncommittal. "I am a Sohma," he murmured, as if this were the only explanation necessary for remembering one's duties. _I am a Sohma, and nothing I can ever do will change that fact._

Akito's smile grew slightly and he lifted his hand, sending the bird fluttering out the window. "True." He stood in a fluid movement, gliding towards Yuki. "You've made us all very proud, you know."

Yuki's nod was brief. "I've only done my best."

The touch that drifted across the teenager's head sent something cold slithering down his spine. Akito's fingers feathered lightly through his bangs. His voice was by Yuki's ear, low, soothing, melodic. "I know." After a moment, Akito drew back, smiling slowly. "I wanted to talk to you."

Yuki lifted his gaze, lavender eyes meeting blue. They held each other's gaze for several moments, and as the eye contact lengthened, tension wound around Yuki's spine. He could feel a faint headache forming at the base of his neck -- it came from the sheer effort it took to keep his expression patently blank. He was going to have a migraine before he was through here. "Yes?"

The fingers in his hair traced a cool path down the side of Yuki's face. "What are you doing after you graduate?"

Akito's eyes were boring down into Yuki's when, finally, the Rat had to look away. Once again, he focused on a spot on the tatami. "I've... I've been accepted to the University of Kyoto." Yuki was bemused; surely Akito knew this already. Nearly everyone had heard about his full academic scholarship -- it was unlikely Akito, who seemed to know everything that happened within and beyond the walls of Sohma house, had missed this information.

"Ah, yes. Kyoto," Akito echoed. "So far away..."

"It isn't that far on the trains," he replied reasonably. Yuki already knew exactly how long the trip to Kyoto was, and he'd already assured Honda-san several times that, no, it was not too far away to visit.

"And what will you do there, so far away from us? From me?" He leaned forward, chuckling softly. "What will happen when they see you for what you are?"

Stiffening internally, Yuki strove to keep his voice steady. "I will go to Kyoto, and I will study -- to bring honor to the Sohma name. I managed three years of high school in a similar environment."

Akito's voice was like raw silk. "You did." His fingers slid under Yuki's chin, tilting his head up, forcing the Rat to look him in the eyes again. "Even though we wished you to attend a different school."

Yuki's jaw tightened, and he swallowed the bile that surged in his throat. _We? Don't you mean "you"?_ He forced himself to meet Akito's penetrating stare unflinchingly. "Despite that, I received an excellent education at Kaibara."

That smile grew, deepening the chill crawling down Yuki's spine. "You did." Smooth fingertips drew back, caressing Yuki's face. "But you had the resources of your family to draw on." He straightened and turned, walking slowly back to his niche, but Yuki could still feel the cool touch burning his skin.

Yuki's brows furrowed slightly. "...Resources?"

A slender hand gestured vaguely as the head of the Sohma family looked over his shoulder. "Shigure's house. Hatori's... abilities. And of course, the kindness of Tohru-kun..."

_Tohru-kun._ Yuki swallowed hard, shoving down the rush of protectiveness at Akito's familiar, casual use of her name. The words were designed to provoke a reaction, and Yuki was determined not to give it. He was not going to bring Honda-san into this conversation. "Hatori's skills were not required once while any of the Sohma have been at Kaibara." Haru and Momiji were still attending, and Kisa would be enrolling soon. There had been a few close calls, of course, but no incidents.

"Perhaps. But when something happens at Kyoto..." He shook his head slowly. "Do you expect me to send Hatori all the way over there to take care of it?"

Yuki's reply was quiet and reasonable. " Nothing is going to happen at Kyoto, Akito-san."

Two dark brows shot up as the slender young man turned. "Are you challenging me?"

Despite the many years he'd lived away from Sohma house, despite the fact that he'd managed to avoid Akito except for when it was absolutely necessary, and despite Honda-san's calming influence, that expression, that tone of voice rousing nightmarish memories he'd thought long-buried. When Yuki finally managed to find his voice, it was lower, softer. "Of course not. I'm only saying that if no such incidents occurred while I attended Kaibara, then it's unlikely that Kyoto will be any different."

"We can't take that risk," the other Sohma murmured, shaking his head slowly.

Violet eyes widened minutely. "...What?"

Taking slow, gliding steps, Akito crossed the room, picking up a packet from a nearby table before turning again towards Yuki, tossing it down in front of him. Reaching out with a hesitant hand, the Rat picked up the packet. As he realized what he was staring at, he felt a faint, familiar tightness in his chest.

_Not here; not now._

Taking slow, steady breaths, Yuki willed the heat in his chest to subside. When he could speak, he looked up at Akito once more. "... What... what is this?"

"Read it."

Gripping the papers with hands that only looked steady, Yuki read the top page again -- and again. As his eyes skimmed the words, and as their meaning sunk in, Yuki felt the walls of Sohma house rise up around him again -- again, when he was _so close_...

When Yuki looked up, he saw Akito watching him with a small smile playing about his lips. After a moment, he spoke. "It's too dangerous for you in Kyoto, Yuki. It's too dangerous for the family. When they found out..." He shook his head slowly, almost mournfully. "I'd have to send Hatori. Questions might be asked."

The words washed over Yuki, who was too stunned to speak. He was not going to be attending the University of Kyoto. In his hands was an acceptance letter from Takaya University, dated several months' previous.

It took several seconds for him to find his voice again. "I never applied to this school, Akito-san."

Narrow shoulders lifted in a small, elegant shrug. "An oversight."

His response was nearly inaudible. "I see."

"I only want to keep you safe, Yuki. Away from those who wouldn't understand." The words were too soft, too gentle, too reassuring to be genuine.

At those words -- at that tone -- Yuki looked up at Akito, and for a moment, the lavender depths sparked with all the helpless rage and fire the Rat had never been permitted to release. But soon the moment passed, and once again the quiet Sohma tightened the reins on his emotions, and his expression was bland once more. He saw Akito's smile widen and he gritted his teeth.

"Is that all you wished to speak with me about?" he asked in a low voice.

The other young man nodded and walked back to his niche, resettling himself gracefully. Yuki had only just gotten to his feet when Akito looked up at him. "Oh... before I forget."

The Rat froze, bracing himself for another bombshell.

"Tell that monster you live with... that I want to see him."

_That monster._

Something in Yuki stiffened, and he gritted his teeth harder, feeling heat throb around his jaw. Yes, he knew precisely who "that monster" was. But it had been nearly a year since a dark, wet night, when thunder crashed in the distance and lightning reflected feral purple eyes. The scar on his arm was faded, but the memories hadn't dimmed; his anger with Akito flared hot again, but he kept his gaze deliberately blank.

"I'm sorry, who?" he asked mildly.

The reply came with a delicate sneer. "That disgusting Cat."

Yuki retained that same bland, disinterested tone. "Oh, you mean Kyou."

The silken kimono that swathed Akito moved like water as he shrugged. "He doesn't really deserve a name," he murmured dispassionately. "He's just a creature underneath."

_There's a monster in the Sohma family, but I think there's some misunderstanding as to who that monster is._ "Very well. I'll tell him." He gave a brief bow and turned to leave.

The soft, sweet, eerily melodic voice trailed after him. "And come see me more often, Yuki. I miss you."

Nausea cloyed at his throat, and Yuki closed his eyes for a moment. Swallowing against the bile, the young man murmured coolly, "Good-bye, Akito-san." He left quickly and quietly, feeling the china blue gaze -- eyes that were at turns both amused and predatory -- drill into his back, making the fine hairs at his neck tingle uncomfortably. Step after step, Yuki strode quickly through the halls of Sohma house, wanting nothing more than to escape the claustrophobia that came whenever he found himself within the walls of the estate.

That suffocating sensation didn't fade until he found himself on the main street. He walked quickly -- the route to Shigure's house was one he could have navigated with his eyes closed -- taking deep, gulping breaths of brisk February air. Unfortunately, none of it did anything to alleviate the helpless rage that coursed through his veins, and when he arrived home, he opened the front door with a sharp snap.

At the sound, Shigure's head poked out from his office. "Welcome home, Yuki-kun!" he sang out cheerfully.

Ignoring him, Yuki dropped the packet on a hall table, instead letting the sound of the television lead him to the great room where Kyou sat, bored, watching a mindless anime flicker across the screen.

Over time, the cousins sparred more frequently than they fought -- they bickered habitually, though now their arguments were somewhat less explosive than they had once been. At one point, Shigure had claimed that they'd started to mellow in their old age. Of course, that explanation fell flat whenever either cousin threw a punch.

It was times like these -- times when he was reminded of the fact that he was, when all was said and done, _still_ subject to Akito's whims -- that made Yuki _want_ to hit something. He ached to unleash the bitterness, anger, and frustration upon which he'd always kept such a tight leash. And it was just much more satisfying to fight Kyou, who'd become a much more challenging opponent over the years.

Yuki stood in the doorway, glaring down at his cousin. "Get up," he ground out through clenched teeth.

At the sound of the Rat's voice, the orange head turned. "Eh?"

"Get up, neko," he growled, enunciating each syllable.

Frowning quizzically, Kyou got to his feet. Some bug had apparently crawled up the nezumi's ass. "What the hell's wrong with you?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Without a reply, Yuki threw a quick, sharp punch, connecting solidly with Kyou's shoulder.

The other Sohma staggered back at the blow, raising his fists automatically. "Oh, you wanna fight, do you?"

Lavender eyes narrowed. "I do," Yuki replied calmly, hitting Kyou again, this time in the midsection.

A prickle of apprehension ran down Kyou's spine. It wasn't like Yuki to pick a fight without any provocation whatsoever. But here he was, his movements precise and fast, striking like a snake. And there was no way in hell Kyou was going to share _that_ analogy with his cousin.

But even as Kyou blocked the punches, and connected with a few of his own, something didn't seem quite right. Yuki didn't fight like this, normally. He was more of a cerebral fighter, strategizing and reading Kyou's moves before he delivered them -- it was a skill Kyou himself had been trying to work on.

Testing the nezumi, Kyou tried a blow of his own, aiming for Yuki's face. The Rat blocked the punch, gritting his teeth -- baring his teeth -- before swinging a kick that landed against Kyou's chest, sending a sharp, slicing pain through his torso, winding him temporarily.

When the sounds of fighting reached Shigure's ears, he frowned faintly and stood, padding quietly out of his office. His eyes caught the packet on the hall table and he picked it up, his frown deepening. After a few moments, he lifted his head and glanced toward the great room, his brows furrowing. _I have a bad feeling about this._

Taking a few steps, he peered into the room, getting a good look at his younger cousin's face. Yuki's expression was grim, his jaw set, and his eyes flashing. He pivoted gracefully, dodging Kyou's leg and using the momentum to send him tumbling backwards over the kotatsu table.

Swearing silently, Shigure stepped forward. "Yuki-kun!"

"I didn't send him through the door," Yuki replied, his voice flat.

"Thank you for that, but..."

The Rat turned suddenly and glared hard at the older Sohma. "But what?"

Shigure's hands went up in a placating gesture. "Nothing, nothing."

Without another word, Yuki stalked from the room, heading upstairs; after a moment, his bedroom door opened and closed. Shifting his gaze, Shigure turned his attention to his other cousin, who was slowly getting to his feet, shaking his head.

"Ow," Kyou muttered, straightening slowly. He winced suddenly, a hand going to his ribs.

Shigure took a step forward. "Are you all right, Kyou-kun?"

"I've had worse," he replied, sitting gingerly at the kotatsu. "What bug crawled up his ass, anyway?"

"He went to see Akito."

Garnet eyes looked up sharply. "He what?"

"Akito summoned him," Shigure said placidly, settling himself at the table.

"What the hell'd he do that for?"

The elder Sohma lifted the packet. "Apparently Yuki-kun isn't going to Kyoto after all."

Kyou stared for a moment before shaking his head slowly. "...That meddling prick."

"Kyou-kun," the novelist said reprovingly. "He's still the head of the family."

The Cat gave a brief snort. "Oh, what's he gonna do, kick me out?" He touched his cheek and grimaced; when he pulled his fingers back, the tips were red with a light streak of blood. "Crap."

Shigure looked narrowly at his cousin. The young man had one arm wrapped around his torso, and he seemed pale beneath his tan. "...Need something?"

Kyou was silent for a few moments; there was a sharp throbbing in his ribs, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up under the warmth of the table. He blew out a breath. Pretending that he wasn't hurt wasn't going to fix the ache in his side. "Yeah. I think I need some painkillers." Much to his surprise, the Dog only nodded once before walking silently from the room. He shifted carefully and settled on his side, closing his eyes.

A few moments of silence passed before Kyou became aware of someone in the room. Opening one eye, he half-expected to see Shigure returning; instead, Yuki's tall, slender frame stood in the doorway. Kyou could almost see the light catch Yuki's eyes as the Rat watched the Cat dispassionately.

"He wants to see you, too," he said quietly, walking through the room, opening the shoji, and going outside, closing the door quietly behind him.

Blowing out a silent breath, Kyou closed his eyes, swallowing against the sick, cold feeling in his stomach. _We haven't graduated yet; that can't be it..._

Shigure's steps soon approached, and Kyou forced himself into a sitting position. The elder Sohma held a small bottle of aspirin and was already tapping two into his palm.

"...Shigure."

"Hmm?"

"I think..." He winced again. "I think I need to see Hatori." Gritting his teeth, Kyou shifted in an attempt to find a position that wasn't completely uncomfortable; it was more difficult than he would have imagined. "Feels like I might've cracked a rib."

Shigure looked at his cousin for a long moment. It wasn't like the young man to admit discomfort or anything else that could be construed as a weakness. If anything, he was probably underplaying the injury. Nodding to himself, the Dog slipped the tablets back into the bottle. "I'll call him."

Shigure padded silently to the hall phone and picked up the receiver, dialing Hatori's number. After a few rings, his friend answered the office line, sounding vaguely distracted. "Yes?"

"Ha-san..."

"Ah, Shigure -- how are you?"

"Oh, fine, fine..." But there was a level of tension in his voice; the brightness was forced, and Hatori had picked up on it.

"Shigure?" he asked, lowering his voice slightly. "Is everything all right?" Even over the faint static of the telephone line, Shigure could hear the concern in the doctor's tone. Sometimes he wondered how his friend managed to be so concerned about _everyone_, all the time.

"Actually," he replied, clearing his throat before giving an awkward chuckle, "Kyou-kun needs to see you." His brow quirked slightly. "It appears Yuki-kun broke him. He says he thinks he cracked a rib."

There was a brief pause. "...Yuki did that?"

Shigure lowered his voice further. "He saw Akito today."

He could almost hear the doctor wince. "Understood." There was another pause, and Shigure's ears could pick up the sound of a shoji door sliding open and then the familiar snick of a lighter. There was a breath in, and the light rush of air as he exhaled. "Aside from the obvious, how did it go?"

"...Akito enrolled Yuki into Takaya University. He'll be going there instead of Kyoto." Once again the static-laden rush of air filtered its way into Shigure's ears, and he nodded. "Exactly."

When Hatori spoke, his voice was soft, introspective. "He hasn't done that sort of damage to Kyou since... well, since before they moved in with you." There was another pause, and Shigure could almost see the pensive frown forming at his friend's forehead. "I'll be by to collect Kyou shortly."

Shigure injected a degree of cheerfulness into his tone. "All right. I'll sit on him to keep him from moving around."

.  
.

As he stood outside, overlooking the rock garden, Hatori shook his head slowly. "Remind him about the last time he cracked a rib and punctured a lung," the Dragon replied dryly. "That should encourage him to sit still."

Shigure assured him that he would do just that -- and if it meant annoying Kyou at all, Hatori was fairly certain that Shigure would be as good as his word. After returning the cordless phone to its receiver, Hatori sighed, sliding his hands into his pockets. He'd seen the look on Yuki's face when he'd been accepted to the University of Kyoto. Yuki -- stoic and quiet -- had exuded joyous excitement. And why not? Kyoto was that much farther away from Sohma house.

Hatori ground out the cigarette. Another Sohma's dream, gone. Crushed on a whim.

The doctor rubbed tiredly at his forehead for a long moment before fetching his keys and seeking out Momiji, who was bent studiously over a medical chart. As the vibrant boy grew into a vibrant young man, he'd shown an interest in studying medicine, and after weeks of insistent pleading, Hatori had finally agreed to let him help out in the office. That had been a year ago.

"Momiji," he said quietly.

The blond head jerked up suddenly as his index finger moved to hold his place; the young Rabbit's brown eyes were wide and inquisitive. "Yes, Ha'ri?" Aside from an impressive growth spurt that already put him at Kyou's height, he'd changed little over the years.

"I'm going to need you to keep an eye on things for a while -- I have to go out."

Momiji smiled warmly. "Don't worry, Ha'ri -- I'll keep this place running like a well-oiled machine." He punctuated the sentence with an authoritative nod, and Hatori couldn't help the faint smile that tilted his lips.

"I'll be back shortly," he said, fidgeting lightly with the keyring as he turned, his steps leading him out of the office and around to the private drive where he kept his car. The trip to Shigure's house was a short one -- short enough to walk, though Hatori seldom opted to make the trip on foot.

Gravel crunched under the car's tires as he arrived at Shigure's house. Hatori killed the engine and let his hand linger on the door handle, frowning thoughtfully. There had been a time when Yuki and Kyou did far more serious damage to each other, but those days had seemed long gone once both boys moved in with Shigure.

Correction: once both boys became acquainted with Honda-kun.

Sliding out of the driver's seat, Hatori turned his steps down long pathway that led toward the house. If he gave the matter serious consideration -- and if he were completely honest about it -- he would have had to admit his skepticism. The chances of Akito permitting the young man to attend school so far away from home were slim at best, made even slimmer by the fact that the young man in question was the Rat.

Suppressing a sigh, he knocked lightly on the door; it slid open immediately, revealing Shigure, who, unless the doctor missed his guess, had probably been watching for him.

He moved to the side as Hatori stepped in, sliding out of his shoes. "He hasn't moved an inch, Ha-san."

The doctor nodded once. "He's not a stupid boy."

"Headstrong, but not stupid."

"And that's not an altogether bad trait."

Shigure nodded, closing the door. A tiny, wry grin lit his lips. "You would know."

"Mmm. I think it's fair to say I've had some exposure in that department."

The other man opened his mouth to reply, but Kyou's voice interrupted, discomfort making his tone sharper than usual. "You guys gonna stand there talking or what?" He was standing in the hall, shoulders slightly hunched, one arm wrapped carefully around his torso.

Hatori studied him for a moment. "I assume you're quite ready to go, then."

The young man nodded, taking a few slow steps forward. "Besides, the nezumi said Akito wanted to see me." His shoulders lifted in what was meant to be a careless shrug, but the Cat winced at the movement. "Figured I'd get that over with."

Shigure's eyes widened, his brows knitting in concern. "On top of..."

Kyou tipped his head to the side and gave the novelist a wry look. "He's not gonna kick me around."

A beat of silence passed; dubious brown eyes and stoic green ones exchanged a glance that said far more than words could have.

"Even so," Hatori began, his fingers nimbly picking through the keys on the ring before settling on one, "if you do decide to speak with Akito, I don't recommend you spend a great deal of time doing it. At this point, rest is more important." It was fruitless to even attempt to talk Kyou out of seeing Akito -- he was resolved to get the unpleasant errand out of the way as soon as possible. Hatori couldn't say he blamed him.

"Damn," Kyou replied, deadpan, "I wanted to spend a couple hours with him."

Shaking his head, Shigure moved forward to open the door. "That's right, get the sarcasm out of your system now, Kyou-kun."

The doctor paused, watching as the injured young man's steps led him through the door. Worry, unhappiness, and something that looked a great deal like defeat all flickered in the sea-green depths of his eyes. When he looked up, Shigure was watching him, an eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

"We wanted it to be better for them," Hatori murmured, his tone nearly inaudible. When Shigure nodded, he shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure it is."

There was a brief pause -- a hairsbreadth of time in which Hatori saw his friend appear to grow older before his eyes. The novelist blew out an exhausted sigh. "I know."

Of course he knew.

Hatori turned and watched Kyou amble carefully down the path toward the car. "Try and... I was going to say 'reassure Yuki,' but somehow I'm not sure reassurance is what he requires right now," he murmured, his eyes never leaving Kyou's slightly hunched form.

"I don't imagine he'll want to discuss the matter right now," Shigure replied quietly. And then, as was so typical of Shigure, his next words came injected with brightness that now sounded forced to Hatori's ears. "Besides, I'm sure once Tohru-kun returns from work and hears the news, she'll heap enough sympathy and tender loving care upon both of them to alleviate--"

"Shigure."

The novelist's words stopped short and the cheerful demeanor shifted like quicksilver; he seemed almost to deflate, shoulders sagging as his eyes closed. "I know, Ha-san. I know," he said, his voice low.

Pressing his lips together in thought, the doctor regarded his friend for a long moment. "Depending on Kyou's results," he said slowly, "I may drive him home as well." He paused. "In fact, I believe I'll drive him home regardless."

Nodding, Shigure looked out the door. Kyou was still walking, his steps slow and determined. "I assume he'll need to rest for a few days." At Hatori's nod, he let a faint, genuine smile warm his lips. "I'll tell Tohru-kun so she can get ready to fuss over him."

Hatori gave a brief smile, a fleeting one laced with equal parts sympathy and empathy. He nodded once and turned, his long-legged strides catching up easily with Kyou.

Shigure watched them leave, his expression pensive. He stood in the doorway long after both figures disappeared from sight. Ha-san's car started, the sound of the engine fading as he drove off. Closing his eyes and exhaling deeply, Shigure slid the door shut.

In the car headed back to the Sohma estate, silence reigned. Neither Kyou nor Hatori were particularly talkative individuals to begin with, but now both of them were lost in their own thoughts. Kyou was settled in the passenger seat, wincing minutely whenever the car took a bump, however miniscule.

Hatori frowned inwardly; he couldn't begin to imagine why Akito wanted to speak with Kyou, but he was confident that it was nothing auspicious. "Kyou?" he began quietly, but the Cat shook his head.

"You're not talking me out of this," he said, never opening his eyes. "I want to get this done and over with." There was a short silence during which time Kyou's lips twisted sardonically. "Besides, I figured he'd enjoy seeing me hurt."

Hatori did not agree out loud. "I don't recommend you speak with him at all while you're injured; however, I know better than to try and deter you."

Kyou let out a harsh, un-Catlike bark of laughter. "Believe me, it's not my idea. The nezumi said Akito wanted to see me. If I had a choice, I'd stay way the hell away from him."

Exhaling hard, the doctor pressed his lips into a thin line. _Unfortunately, you don't have a choice; none of us do._ He guided the car expertly into the main compound, navigating a series of short roads before pulling up to the small cluster of buildings that comprised his offices as well as his house. "We're here."

Kyou expelled a short, hard sigh. "Right. Let's get this over with." He climbed out of the car, his movements deliberate, and followed Hatori into the building and through the series of hallways leading to the examination rooms reserved exclusively for the Juunishi.

Several radiographs later, Kyou was seated on an examination table, waiting for Hatori's return with his results. He still hadn't managed to find a position that _didn't_ hurt -- only some that hurt significantly less than others. He sat still, his breathing shallow, as he turned over the fight once more in his mind. He was, of course, annoyed with himself for failing to block the kick that had landed so squarely against his ribs, but riding alongside that annoyance was that prickling apprehension. If Akito's eyes were already turned toward the future -- and his sudden realignment of Yuki's university plans suggested that they _were_ -- then that most certainly did not bode well for the Cat.

He inhaled as deeply as he dared -- it was a breath that was intended to be steadying, but breathing caused Kyou too much discomfort for that to be the case.

Several more minutes ticked by on the clock; there was a quick knock and a brief pause before Hatori opened the door.

"So what's the damage?" Kyou asked tiredly.

"You have a simple hairline fracture along your eighth rib on the left side." The Dragon shrugged a bit. "Nothing's been punctured, and aside from a few impressive bruises--"

Kyou snorted.

"--everything else looks fine."

Nodding once, the Cat stood carefully, one arm still wrapped around him. "Y'know, part of me's pissed he's been holding back all this time, but--"

"This doesn't necessarily mean he's been holding back, Kyou," Hatori interrupted patiently.

But Kyou shook his head. "No, he was..." He trailed off, frowning, trying to articulate it. "He was... cold," he said slowly. "He had this weird... clarity."

Hatori nodded, but said nothing. _He wanted to hit someone he knew could and would hit back._

Blowing out a long breath, and wincing as he did so, Kyou turned scarlet eyes on the doctor. "You need to wrap it?"

Hatori shook his head. "No, your body will keep it immobilized just fine. I don't have to tell you to take it easy -- and I have some analgesics I want you to take." He produced a small brown bottle deep from within the pocket of his white lab coat. "Two every six hours should keep you comfortable."

A small, wry half-smile tilted Kyou's lips as he took the bottle. "I'll even take 'em this time."

"I'd imagine you would -- after spending four days as a cat the last time."

Sheepish, Kyou looked down at his hands, long fingers turning the bottle over slowly. "Yeah, well, even the Cat can learn something," he muttered. After a moment, he handed the bottle back to Hatori. "Listen, hold on to these for me. I gotta--"

"Go speak with Akito," Hatori finished for him, putting the bottle back in his pocket. "I understand."

"I'll be back for them," Kyou said, heading for the door.

Hatori nodded. "I rather had a feeling you would be." He fell silent for a moment or two. "I'll drive you back to Shigure's house when you're done."

"Thought I'd jog," was the deadpan reply.

"I don't recommend it," Hatori countered, equally straight-faced.

Kyou turned his head, his gaze focused on the long corridor before him. "Guess I'll just go get it over with," he murmured, half to himself.

"I'll be here when you're done," was the doctor's quiet reply.

.  
.

The shadows had grown longer since morning, when Yuki had knelt where Kyou was now trying not to fidget. They filtered through the shoji, touching the room with an aura of gloom and despair unsuited to the beauty of the spring evening outside. _Or maybe,_ Kyou thought, _the shadows aren't coming from out there._

Akito lay motionless on his futon, his back turned on his room. He had a glass or something hard in his restless, skeletal fingers; Kyou could hear the light clicking sounds. _He's just doing it to get me tense. _Kyou clenched his teeth and focused on regulating his breathing. _I'm not going to lose my temper. I'm not. I'm _not. He bowed carefully, grimacing as his rib protested, but managing to keep any sound of pain from escaping.

"You came sooner than I expected," Akito said. He sounded neither pleased nor displeased by this observation; he could have been commenting on the weather.

Kyou held the bow, ignoring the mounting pain. "I was here for something else, so I thought I'd come."

Another long silence fell, punctuated only by the monotonous clicking of whatever Akito was toying with. "You graduate next month, do you not?"

"Yeah." _My last month of freedom_,_ and I can't even concentrate on beating that fucking nezumi because he cracked my ribs. _Kyou gritted his teeth. _Oh well. At least she won't have to remember us fighting this way._

Akito rolled over, kimono twisting around his torso in disarray, gaping open to reveal bony clavicles. "And, of course, you remember the details of our little arrangement." His eyes gleamed at Kyou from behind the fall of his bangs.

"Yes," Kyou bit out, sitting back on his heels.

Akito smiled slowly and rose to his feet, not bothering to straighten his kimono. He gazed up at the ceiling. "It occurs to me, neko..." A beautifully carved jade figurine of a rat tumbled out of the folds of his robe. "Yuki is... unique, is he not?"

_What the hell does that mean?_ "Yeah," Kyou said. "So what?"

The head of the family stooped and picked up the figurine, caressing it slowly. "Perhaps asking you to beat him in a scant eighteen years was asking too much." Akito's smile widened as Kyou's eyes darkened. "He is, after all, the superior fighter. The superior scholar." His fingers traced the smooth lines of the figure with an almost obscene affection. "He is simply... superior."

Kyou forced himself to concentrate on a mental image of a sunny smile and cheerful turquoise eyes that nothing could darken. Slowly the roar of his temper subsided in his ears. "Saying he's superior to the Cat isn't saying much." He wasn't too surprised when the crack of the slap resounded in his ears. _Way to go, baka. He had the fucking statue in his hand too. Figures._ A warm trickle of blood wound its way down his cheek. _And he reopened that cut. I hate visiting the main house._

"Did I invite you to speak?"

Kyou shook his head.

Akito nodded and wandered over to his shoji, gazing out into the garden. "It is with Yuki's superiority in mind that I have decided to offer you an extension." Kyou swallowed, feeling a cold lump of dread form in his stomach. "Yuki has decided to attend school locally." He turned and shot Kyou a malicious smile. "But I see he already told you." Akito ignored the hiss that escaped the tense boy and walked over to a fragile table on which rested a bamboo vase and a thick packet of paper. "If you can defeat the Rat before you graduate from university, then... you may join the Juunishi."

_You don't mean that, you asshole._ Kyou nodded curtly.

"The rest of our terms still stand. Do you have any questions?" Kyou shook his head this time and was rewarded by the packet landing in front of him. "You may leave."

As the Cat-cursed boy walked towards the door, papers clutched in his fist, Akito sprawled bonelessly on his futon once more. "Oh, monster. One more thing."

Kyou stopped, hand resting on the shoji into the hallway.

The head of the house set the jade rat down lovingly by his pillow and touched it lightly on the head, as if bestowing a blessing. "Tell Yuki I said... good job."


	3. Chapter Two: Slings and Arrows

Bump in the Road: Chapter Two

A/N: We still don't own the _Furuba _universe; it's still all the property of Takaya Natsuki, and we're still not making any profit. Further bulletins as events warrant.

Great thanks to Aoi for the lovely beta job, of course. And thanks to William Shakespeare for his Public Domain-ness. ;)

* * *

Chapter Two: Slings and Arrows

_Blest are those whose blood and judgment are so well commeddled that they are not a pipe for Fortune's finger to sound what stop she please. Give me that man that is not passion's slave, and I will wear him in my heart's core, ay, in my heart of hearts as I do thee._

Hamlet, III ii

XxXxX

Kyou rapped on Hatori's door perfunctorily, not even waiting for the doctor's reply of "It's open" before walking into the office and sitting down carefully on the first available chair. It wasn't much, but the Cat managed to take what little comfort he could in the fact that Akito had not asked about the stiffness in his movements. The errand was over and, for the moment, Kyou's duty was fulfilled.

Hatori looked up from his paperwork, bemused by the quick return. "Already?"

"He's letting me go to college," Kyou said flatly, his eyes trained on the middle distance.

Hatori's eyebrows rose. "Is that so?"

The Cat let out a long breath, moving to run his fingers through his hair, then stiffening as his ribs caught again. "I'm getting really fucking tired of this."

It had occurred to Kyou that Akito had probably been expecting some sort of reaction to the news that he _wasn't_ going to be locked away upon graduation. Relief, maybe. But all this supposed "opportunity" did for the Cat was delay the inevitable. It was true: he was tired. He was tired of being a source of malicious amusement for the clan head. He was tired of being the Cat. He was tired of _trying,_ when all it ever got him was nowhere. Akito wasn't giving him any real chance to be free; this was just a set-up for failure.

The only answer the Dragon gave him was a long sigh. "I'll only be a moment." Hatori started putting away his paperwork, locking away records.

Kyou's next words stopped him cold.

"I'm not going to try anymore."

Blinking, the doctor turned slightly. "I beg your pardon?"

"He said if I could beat Yuki by the time I graduated high school, he wouldn't lock me up. He said I could join the Juunishi. Now he says, if I can beat him by the time I graduate from college..." Kyou rose from his chair and paced across the office, grimacing at every step. The Dragon merely stared at him. "I figured, what the hell? If he kept his promise, that was okay, and if he didn't, I'd still have beaten Yuki. But I'm fucking tired."

"Kyou." The Cat stopped in his tracks and glanced askance at Hatori, resting one hand against the doorframe. His other arm was wrapped around his body, clutching the package of college material Akito had cast at his feet. Fatigue and tension were radiating in waves off of the Cat and Hatori felt a surge of sympathy for the boy.

It was difficult enough, simply living with the Curse. It was _enough_ of a trial, having a vengeful spirit constantly lying in wait, ready for that key moment of weakness. It was hard enough, simply being Juunishi. Hatori couldn't begin to imagine what it was like being the Cat.

It seemed an eternity passed before the Dragon spoke again. "Let's go to the car. I'll drive you back to the house."

Kyou didn't move for a moment. He finally nodded and followed Hatori out to the car. The silence was heavy between them, as Kyou closed his eyes, looking tired and frayed, and Hatori started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

They were nearly to Shigure's house before the Cat spoke again. "Maybe I'll try," Kyou said softly after a while. "I don't know. It's just... the fighting, it bothers her." The Dragon nodded in silent comprehension. Kyou laughed abruptly, wincing despite himself. "I can't for the next month, anyway."

"_I _certainly wouldn't advise it."

Kyou let out a small snort of derision. "If Shishou heard I was sparring with a cracked rib, he'd come kick my ass himself."

A small smile flickered on Hatori's face as he pulled into the usual parking space at the end of the long path that led to the Dog's home. "As your physician, I'd have to recommend against that."

Kyou opened the door carefully and climbed out. "Not planning on it. That kuso nezumi'll have to beat on someone else if he's got anger to burn."

The Dragon followed him to the front door, remembering to give Kyou his pain killers as well. "You'd better take some of these now." As Kyou opened the front door, Hatori continued, "So if Yuki isn't going to hit you, and he's certainly not going to hit Honda-kun... by my count, that leaves Shigure."

Kyou huffed a small laugh, then winced again. "I'd love to see that."

The Dragon shut the front door quietly. "I can't think of anyone who wouldn't."

As if on cue, Shigure popped out into the hall, his usual jovial smile fixed in place. "Welcome home!" he sang. "How are you, Kyou-kun?"

"Cracked," Kyou said shortly.

"Yes, and your ribs?"

The Cat was not amused. "Shut up, baka inu." Kyou kicked his shoes off and headed towards the kitchen to swallow his pills, leaving the two elder Juunishi behind. Shigure turned back to Hatori and quirked an inquisitive eyebrow.

Hatori slipped his cigarette case out of his pocket, weighing it in his hand. "Kyou's going to college," he murmured, just loud enough for the Dog's ears.

Genuine surprise flashed across Shigure's face. "Well, that's... good news."

The Dragon didn't answer for a few moments, running his thumb across the flat silver surface. Shigure waited quietly. Whenever Hatori had something to say, it was worth listening to, no matter how much silence separated the words.

After a moment, the doctor opened the silver case and withdrew a cigarette, looking down at it thoughtfully.

"We need to talk," he said finally.

Shigure nodded and glanced around. "My study?"

When Hatori nodded, the Dog waved his friend onward, following him down the hall and sliding the shoji shut behind them. Hatori settled down on the little-used cushions scattered in front of the desk while Shigure sank down into his accustomed spot. Digging in his desk produced a pack of cigarettes and a book of matches. The scent of sulfur and lit tobacco wove through the room as Hatori lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply. It was like a ritual between them, a way to prepare themselves and each other for things they either didn't want to say, or didn't want to hear.

Hatori blew out a stream of smoke and looked at the glowing tip contemplatively. "Akito promised Kyou he could join the Juunishi and avoid the fate of the Cat if he defeated Yuki before he graduated high school."

Shigure paused in the midst of tapping out his own cigarette. "Well. That explains the last few years." He lit it and leaned back, exhaling slowly. "Poor Kyou-kun."

"Akito has extended the deadline." Hatori took another drag on his cigarette, letting the smoke drift out from his nostrils. "Which is fortuitous on the one hand, since Kyou is injured, but on the other hand..." He trailed off. Shigure waited quietly. "It seems needlessly cruel to send Kyou to college under these circumstances," Hatori said quietly. "University is where you become who you'll be for the rest of your life."

The two men sat in silence for a while. Shigure tapped ash from his cigarette. "Do you think it's breaking them, then?"

Hatori frowned slightly. "He doesn't want to try any more -- doesn't want to dance to Akito's music." Again, he fell into contemplative silence; again, the Dog did not interrupt it. "Though I must say," Hatori said, finally, "I found Kyou's reason for not wanting to fight Yuki anymore... surprising."

Shigure blew out a stream of smoke over both their heads. "And what was it?"

"Because it upsets Honda-kun." For several seconds, Hatori studied Shigure with a shrewd eye; the novelist's expression hadn't changed. "You're not surprised." Shigure shook his head and the Dragon sighed hard through his nose. "I confess I wouldn't have thought that one person could have such an impact on those two."

Shigure shrugged. "I admit it turned out more neatly than I could've anticipated."

"I see." The Dragon sat back, eyeing the Dog keenly. "And how does this... extension fit into your plan?"

A dark smile crossed the other man's face. "It's a new development, certainly. But in the long run, it buys us more time." He tapped his cigarette, thinking. "But... if Kyou-kun gives up..." He trailed off, looking thoughtfully out the window. When he looked back, it was in time to see incredulity flicker across the other man's face. That dark smile widened. "Come now, Ha-san. There are different forms of giving up, after all. Kyou-kun's willingness to fight Yuki-kun meant he wanted to change his fate. Now he's resigned himself to accept whatever crumbs are tossed his way."

"He sees nothing ahead but the cage," Hatori murmured. He closed his eyes and bowed his head for a long moment. "Perhaps that should change." The Dragon crushed out his cigarette and contemplated another one. After only a moment's consideration, he took another from the pack lying abandoned on Shigure's desk and lit it. The pair of them smoked in silence for a bit before the doctor spoke again. "Did you anticipate it taking quite this long?"

"No," Shigure replied quietly. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his temple wearily with his free hand. "But it doesn't matter. One year, two years, the rest of my life..." A small smile twisted Shigure's mouth. "Anything for my dream, Ha-san."

Hatori frowned at the smoke spiraling up from his cigarette. "Are you sure of this?"

Eyes still closed, the Dog repositioned his cigarette between his lips. "Sure of--"

"Are you certain this is going to work?"

"No," Shigure replied simply. His eyes drifted open; like his voice, they were nearly expressionless. "But I think it's better than doing nothing."

"Do you think, then, that Akito sent Yuki to school here simply so Kyou could continue trying?" It was more intellectual curiosity than anything; Hatori wanted to see what his cousin's nimble mind made of that move.

Shigure rose from his desk and walked over to the shoji overlooking to the garden, sliding it open to gaze out into the twilight. "...That's not why Yuki-kun's going to school here."

"You don't think so?" The doctor watched his cigarette's smoke flicker and disappear in the breeze.

The Dog shook his head. "Yuki-kun has own cage -- it's just a different shape from Kyou-kun's. Akito wants them both to realize they're still trapped."

"I'd figured that much," Hatori said dryly. "But--"

"It's more of our game," Shigure interrupted softly, taking a long drag on his cigarette and exhaling smoke. The breeze caught it as well, making the fine grey mist dance a moment before dispersing into nothing.

The Dragon stilled, cold apprehension snaking its way down his spine. Shigure's darker side, always a concern, had been winding deeper and deeper into what was left of his soul. "What happens when Akito's moves counter yours? What happens if we lose?"

That chilling smile spread slowly across Shigure's features, like oil on water. "Then we'll have to start over. Or perhaps overturn the board. I don't know. It hasn't happened yet." Hatori shook his head. Shigure chuckled, but there was no mirth in his laughter. "I know, I know. It's not a game. People's lives and so on and so forth. I shouldn't think of it that way."

"And yet, you do." A stronger draft ruffled the Dragon's long bangs, brushing his eye uncomfortably.

"If I didn't," Shigure pointed out in a reasonable tone, "I couldn't do this."

Hatori blew out more smoke, rubbing his forehead with his thumb in unconscious, long-felt exasperation. "Shigure. Games have rules. Established rules. When you deal with _people_, they're not as predictable as you might like to think. They're not game pieces."

Shigure shrugged, smirking faintly. "You may think so. I've always found people to be reasonably predictable." He came back to the table, resumed his place across from the Dragon, crushed out his cigarette, and leaned back in his seat. "I haven't been wrong yet."

"Did your crystal ball predict Kyou's sudden willingness to give up?" Hatori's voice held an edge that the Dog blithely ignored.

"It had occurred to me," Shigure said. He looked at his cousin for a brief moment, and then away again; something about the look the Dragon was giving him disturbed Shigure's practiced calm. "How long can someone love someone else in silence before--" He stopped suddenly, unaccustomed guilt crossing his features.

He'd gone too far. Words he'd used intending only to refer to the Cat held a great deal of meaning for the Dragon as well. Hatori had been through too much already, and was slowly moving past those incidents, with Mayuko's assistance.

_And _speaking_ of loving in silence..._

But Shigure didn't voice those thoughts. He'd already misspoken once, and by the way his cousin was sitting rock-still on his cushion, not even the faint column of smoke from the cigarette wavering, the Dog knew better than to say any more.

Shigure turned around and looked at his cousin. "I'm sorry, Ha-san. I wasn't thinking."

Hatori met his eyes levelly. "Still caught up in the game, I imagine." When the Dog winced exaggeratedly in response, he sighed. "I apologize."

Shigure waved a hand. "No, no, you were well within your rights."

Hatori pulled his mind away from the painful memories brought to the fore. "My point is, you can try to predict people, but I think there are some things beyond even you."

"I'll worry about that when it happens." Shigure leaned back in his seat, folding his hands on the desktop.

"Don't you ever imagine how they must feel?" Hatori asked, quietly. "Don't you..." But the words never left the Dragon's lips. Instead, he shook his head slowly. "No, I don't imagine you do. It would only disrupt your clinical detachment."

The Dog shot him a wry smile. "Thus speaks the expert on clinical detachment."

"Even I indulge in the occasional bout of empathy," the doctor riposted.

Shigure raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply for a moment or so. "If I didn't have any empathy, I wouldn't worry about them at all."

Several more beats of silence passed as the Dragon regarded his cousin -- his _friend_. "There was a time when I would have agreed with you."

The Dog's mask slipped for a fraction of a second. Then the careless smile and voice were back, though the latter was darkly edged. "...What does _that _mean?"

"I believe that you're concerned for them," Hatori replied placidly. "The fact that you worry about them at all suggests that you care about them."

"I _do_," Shigure objected, but the Dragon cut him off with a shake of his head.

"I'm not arguing that." He hesitated. "I simply don't think you empathize with them. It's too... emotional. Too messy. Too involved."

Shigure smiled again, equally dark but slightly more manic. "If you gaze long enough into the abyss..."

Hatori regarded Shigure for a long moment, his eyes flickering with muted sadness. "Then it will swallow you whole."

Shigure laughed a little, lifting his shoulders in a graceful, careless shrug. "Then that is the price I will pay."

Hatori looked troubled as he rose to his feet. Admonishments, concerns, pleas: all rushed to his lips. But Shigure had heard them all before, and nothing had been able to turn him away from his path. Finally, he simply said, "Be careful. Nothing's worth losing your soul over."

Shigure exhaled, and it sounded almost like a chuckle, but not quite. "'I don't set my life at a pin's fee.'"

Hatori rolled his eyes. "Very well." If Shigure was simply going to make literary references, there was nothing else to be said. He tucked his hands in his coat pockets. "I should be getting back."

Shigure stood up as well. "Drive carefully, Ha-san."

"I always do," Hatori replied. The two men smiled at each other before Hatori went out the office door to the foyer to put his shoes on. Shigure padded after him, frowning in concern when Hatori yawned.

"Are you sure you're all right to drive? Even only back to the main house?"

"I'm certain." Hatori rubbed his eyes wearily. "Simply too many early mornings." Caffeine and nicotine could not completely replace sleep, regardless of Hatori's efforts.

Shigure put a hand on his cousin's arm. "I could sleep in my study if you wanted to sleep here..."

Hatori shook his head. "I need to be there. Momiji's expecting me." He sent his friend a small, wry smile. "Besides, I don't want to sleep on that laundry pile you call a bed."

Shigure grinned. "It's not that bad. Tohru-kun cleaned it off two weeks ago." At Hatori's snort of laughter, he patted him gently. "Just remember, Ha-san, there's only one of you."

"Perhaps not for that much longer," Hatori replied. "Momiji's talking about medical school."

Shigure's eyebrows rose. "Is that so? Good for him."

The doctor turned back, folding his arms. "Would you say so? I would think you'd consider his empathy as a disadvantage. For Momiji, there's no such thing as detachment."

His cousin raised his hands in a small shrug. "That's true, but even if I did say I thought his empathy made medicine a bad choice for him, it wouldn't matter."

"Because he's determined." Shigure nodded and Hatori sighed again. "Let me know if Kyou's condition worsens suddenly." He slid the door open and walked out, making his way back to the waiting car. Shigure stood in the doorway for a while, watching his old friend vanish into the darkness.

Slowly, the Dog closed the door, resting his forehead against the wood for a moment. Ha-san was worried; he could see that much. But didn't he understand? Didn't he _see_? All of Shigure's efforts, all of his planning, all of his desires had been focused for so long on one goal. And Shigure could see the end in sight. He could _feel_ it.

_'Be careful. Nothing's worth losing your soul over.'_

Shigure frowned and shook his head, still resting against the wood of the door. He stood to lose nothing in this venture; Hatori simply worried too much. He wasn't sacrificing anything of his _self._ He wasn't giving up his soul.

He was just... focused. And what was wrong with that? What was wrong with wanting to live a normal life? What was _wrong_ with being dissatisfied with the current state of affairs? As Juunishi, they learned to live day to day, simply settling for what they _could_ have. They worked around the chains that bound them; Shigure wanted to cast them off entirely.

How did that endanger his soul?

Straightening, Shigure shook his head briefly. _Ha-san's been complacent for too long. He's accepted his fate. He's afraid to try -- and can you blame him? Aside from a few minor miscalculations, you've done fine so far. Don't worry about it._

He stood there a moment in the darkened foyer, waiting for some sort of reassurance, something to remind him that the ends still justified the means. But there was nothing but the sounds of the house settling around him. Another moment passed, and the Dog let out a weary sigh, turning and retiring upstairs to bed.

XxXxX

Tohru walked up to the front door, marginally surprised at the quietness of the house. The lights in the living room and kitchen were off, and as she slid the door open and kicked her shoes off, nobody came out in response to her soft call of, "I'm home."

_I guess everyone went to bed early._ She crept upstairs and let herself into her room, putting her things away and changing into her yellow pajamas. _Oh, I'm so tired. But it was a good day at work. Now I just need to wash my face..._ She slid her door open and squeaked in surprise at the shadowy figure leaning against the hallway wall opposite. "K-Kyou-kun?"

"Yeah," he said quietly. "It's just me."

Tohru padded out into the hallway, peering at him. _He looks so tired._ "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." The Cat's mouth twitched in an almost-smile. "Mostly."

Alarm bells went off—Kyou-kun, admitting weakness? "What's wrong?"

"Cracked a rib." Tohru's eyes went huge with concern, and he shook his head, putting a hand out. "No, no, it's okay."

Her hand pressed against her mouth; she had to remind herself to remove it so she could question him: "Are you sure? Do you need anything? Does it hurt?"

"Actually..." Kyou looked a little flustered. "Could you hold onto these for me?" He held up an amber pill bottle. "Last time I sucked at remembering to take them."

"Do you want me to remind you?" Tohru asked, taking the bottle. Kyou nodded. She nodded back in determination. "I can do that!" She read the instructions on the bottle carefully, then frowned a little. "...Kyou-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"How... did you crack a rib?" She looked up in time to see his scarlet eyes widen, then dart away. _Kyou-kun..._

"Slipped on the roof," he said finally.

Tohru's frown deepened. In all the time she'd lived at the Sohma's, she'd never seen Kyou slip or misstep, even on the roof. _But Kyou-kun wouldn't lie..._ "Oh." She glanced down the hallway. "...Where's Yuki-kun?"

Kyou started to shrug, then grimaced. "Dunno. Went out earlier. Didn't see him come back." He touched her gently on the arm. "I'm sure he's okay."

XxXxX

Much later, when darkness shrouded Sohma Shigure's house, the novelist found himself in bed, unable to sleep. He'd heard Yuki come in sometime around midnight, despite the Rat's efforts to be quiet. For his part, Shigure figured Yuki deserved some time to brood over recent developments, and he would feign ignorance regarding his cousin's late-night return.

But that had been long ago, and the Dog was now quite certain that the sky beyond his blinds grew lighter with the coming dawn. He sighed a little; his mind was too restless for him to sleep, thoughts passing through his head too quickly for him to process. Try as he might to push aside the errant musings, Shigure found himself unable to think past the day's revelations.

What did Akito have to gain by prolonging Kyou's freedom, even temporarily? Was it boredom? Could something so mundane, so quotidian be the reason behind such a move? It was unprecedented for a God to _change_ the Cat's timeline, bored or not.

But then, as far as Shigure knew, there'd never been a God quite like Akito.

Eventually, he heard movement in the house: Kyou. Despite his injury, he was still awake far earlier than the rest of the house. Shigure smiled a little and rolled onto his side. The familiarity of the noises filtering through the walls was oddly reassuring, and for the first time in hours, Shigure felt slumber's insistent tug, coaxing him into submission.

By the time the sun had appeared on the horizon, Shigure was sleeping soundly.


	4. Chapter Three: Wrong Time, Wrong Place

Bump in the Road: Chapter Three

A/N: Yay for updates! We've actually been together, in person, working on the next few chapters, which has been fun and productive, shockingly. So, let's get to it. Huge, HUGE thanks and various baked goods to Aoi for being a fantastic and lovably brutal beta. Thank you, Aoi! And, of course, as always, reviews are hugely appreciated and happily squealed over. ;)

XxXxX

Chapter Three: Wrong Time, Wrong Place

_All other doubts, by time let them be cleared;  
Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered.  
_

Cymbeline IV, iii

Shigure could not help but notice that Kyou's voice seemed to have a natural inclination to bounce off every wall in the house, no matter his location at the time. Such was the case today. In fact, the Dog was rather surprised that Kyou felt up to going anywhere. He could barely move without wincing. But then again, once Yuki announced his intention to accompany Tohru-kun to the market, very little could have deterred the Cat from going along. Doing so would have been acknowledging his injury and, therefore, weakness.

"Fine!"

Yuki's voice, softer, but no less clear. "Fine."

"I'm going!"

_"Fine."_ A pause, then a muttered, "Baka neko."

"Screw you, kuso nezumi!"

"I never _told_ you not to bother coming _with_ us, idiot Cat."

Predictably, Kyou muttered and groused, and acted quite put upon, but he wasn't fooling anyone, least of all Shigure. From his study, the Dog only shook his head. There were some days when the boys seemed to hover on the threshold of... well, not friendship, necessarily, but something less full of vitriol than they were demonstrating now.

_Rome wasn't built in a day,_ the Dog reminded himself, _but by this point they'd at least had a foundation laid._

All of this, and they were only going grocery shopping.

It seemed an eternity before the trio left the house, and when they finally did, Shigure let out a long sigh of relief. He had been looking forward to spending the afternoon putting the finishing touches on a cluster of chapters Mit-chan was due to pick up the following week. He worked for a short while before meandering into the kitchen, intent on brewing some Keemun, which would undoubtedly help stimulate his muse.

Unfortunately, while he was getting a clean teacup from the cabinet, Shigure saw, on the counter, the grocery list in Tohru-kun's sweeping, feminine hand. He blinked, staring at the slip of paper for a second or three, thinking. The _right_ thing to do would be to take the list and catch up with his young charges, like the helpful soul he was (or that he tried to be, which isn't always the same thing).

Although, truth be told, he didn't much _feel_ like going for a walk. He'd been looking forward to a quiet afternoon all day, and now that he felt it in his grasp, Shigure was reluctant to give it up so easily. Surely there was nothing _that_ important on the list. His eyes scanned the list as he reached up into another nearby cabinet, his left hand groping for the canister of his favorite Keemun. When his fingers didn't close around the familiar container, he frowned and looked up.

It wasn't there.

Shigure looked back at the list, and there, in handwriting too flowery to be anyone _but_ Tohru-kun's, he saw _"Shigure-san's tea"_ at the bottom.

The situation had suddenly become rather... dire.

_They couldn't have gotten that far,_ he thought, folding the sheet and heading for the door. He paused long enough to slip on his geta and shrug into his coat, and then was off, striding down the tree-lined path as he hurried to catch up with the teenagers. However, the longer Shigure walked, the more certain he became that Kyou-kun, Yuki-kun, and Tohru-kun were further along than he'd originally thought. What had started out as a short walk turned into a much longer journey than Shigure had anticipated; soon he found himself in front of the grocery store. _Damn it._

He'd come this far; it would be ridiculous not to go in. Though, if he waited long enough, Kyou-kun and Yuki-kun could be escorted outside for fighting anyway...

Unfortunately, that wasn't as likely as Shigure would've hoped it to be. The boys had gotten in trouble here before, and Tohru-kun's disappointment had been enough to guarantee that both the Cat and Rat would be on their best behavior, ever after.

There was nothing for it -- he had to go inside. Sighing a bit, Shigure stepped in, the automatic doors shutting behind him with a soft _whoosh_. He made his way carefully through the aisles, keeping eyes and ears peeled for any sight or sound of Tohru-kun and the boys. Contrary to what most people believed, it wasn't sheer laziness that made Shigure prefer ordering takeout. It was the market itself.

No, that wasn't even entirely accurate. It wasn't the grocery; it was the _people_. The place was teeming with them -- throngs upon throngs of people. Waves of them. More people than he could ever possibly count in his lifetime.

...Well, perhaps not _that_ many... but certainly a lot.

And, for reasons known only to Kami-sama, _all of them seemed to be women._

_Damn it!_

And the true injustice was the fact that it wasn't cute high-school girls swarming the market (Tohru-kun excluded, of course), but older, perpetually unhappy-looking matronly types.

_Behold: your readership._

The Dog suppressed a shudder at this thought and yanked his mind back to the situation at hand: locating Tohru-kun, Yuki-kun, or even Kyou-kun. After a few more moments, he caught sight of an orange head and, relieved grin in place, he quickened his steps to catch up with the trio. Soon he saw them in the produce section -- Yuki-kun and Tohru-kun were choosing vegetables, while Kyou stood off to the side, glowering, a shopping basket hooked at his elbow.

"Ah!" he cried out, closing the distance between them. "I'm so proud of you both, Kyou-kun, Yuki-kun!" When both boys looked up, identical expressions of horror etched on their features, his grin widened. "You'll both make wonderful brides for a very lucky someone!"

Predictably, Kyou sputtered, turning a rather impressive shade of crimson. Yuki, on the other hand, glared at him, muttering darkly.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Kyou demanded, scarlet eyes flashing with impatience and embarrassment.

Shigure wagged a finger at them both. "You let Tohru-kun wander off without her list!" Fixing the girl with a warm smile, he withdrew the slip of paper from his sleeve and passed it to her.

Tohru's eyes widened as her expression lit with both relief and happiness. "Oh, Shigure-san, thank you! We were just trying to remember what I'd put on the list. Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun offered to go back and get it for me--"

_I just bet they did,_ Shigure thought, keeping his expression bland and pleasant.

"--but I didn't want to impose on them." She paused as a thought occurred to her, and her expression shifted from one of relief to one of concern. "I'm so sorry, Shigure-san! I hope you didn't inconvenience yourself too greatly coming out all this way just to bring the list--"

With ease born of practice, Shigure waved off the young woman's worried prattle. "Not at all, Tohru-kun. It was a pleasant walk."

The Cat made no effort to mask his growl. "If the walk was so damned pleasant, then you can take it _again_. _Now_."

Affecting a pout and tucking his arms into his sleeves, Shigure turned to his younger cousin.

As is the nature of accidents, Shigure hadn't even seen the woman coming. He'd only just opened his mouth to reply when someone behind him stumbled, tumbling against him, and the last thing Sohma Shigure registered before the world faded from color into a haze of blacks, whites, and grays, was a pair of soft breasts pressed against his back. He saw Tohru-kun's eyes flicker with panic an instant before she smiled brilliantly and stooped over, scooping up the abandoned clothes, laughing uncomfortably as all eyes fell upon her.

He felt a tiny twinge of guilt at the girl's discomfiture. But those breasts against his back... That sensation alone almost made it worth the frantic, four-legged scramble out of the market.

Scenery passed in a blur, shops and sidewalks leading to more familiar, less developed areas as Shigure sprinted home. His paws pounded against the earth in a rhythm that thundered through his head, keeping time with each individual curse as he swore under his breath.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit..." His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he ran, and it occurred to him in that tiny little part of the brain he seldom used that perhaps it might have been beneficial to him if he were to get a bit more exercise.

That little voice, however, was drowned out by a louder one. Had he left the market quickly enough? Had anyone seen?

"Baka," he muttered under his breath as he leapt over a small creek. "Baka, baka, baka, baka, _baka_!"

XxXxX

The woman shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat of the coupe. "Takashi... could you slow down a little, please?"

The driver gave her an amused smile. "Akemi-chan -- there's nothing on these back roads. Don't worry about it."

Her eyes went to the green blur beyond the car window. "Even still... I think you might be driving a little too fast."

A shadow of annoyance passed over the driver's brow as he let up on the accelerator, but the smile stayed in place. "I do know how to drive, Akemi," he said lightly.

XxXxX

Shigure was nearly home -- nearly there. No, it would not do to transform back to normal while he was running back to the house. He winced. No, it wouldn't do in the least.

Because running meant... bouncing.

He winced again.

Shigure was quickly nearing the edge of woodland. He was thick in Sohma land at present, and so close to home he could taste it. Or, at least, smell it.

And, because he was on Sohma land, it never occurred to him to pause before crossing the barely paved road that ran along the perimeter of the property. It never occurred to him to look both ways before crossing the street.

Because, really, cars weren't usually an issue.

But it occurred to Sohma Shigure, as he darted out into the road, and particularly when something slammed into his left side, knocking the air out of his lungs, killing his momentum and sending him sailing to his right, that perhaps looking both ways before crossing the street was a very good habit to adopt.

He landed hard on the grass alongside the road, his right foreleg twisting painfully beneath him as his head thumped solidly against the semi-frozen ground, evening up the damage to include his entire body. He lay still for a moment, staving off unconsciousness, his mind racing to catalogue his injuries. His ribs hurt like a bitch, and he ached all over. The pain ricocheting through his skull was particularly exquisite.

But he was alive, and that was something, certainly.

As he succumbed to the blackness teasing at the edges of his vision, one thought slid through his mind.

He _really_ didn't want to have to explain this to Hatori.

XxXxX

"For god's sake, look out!"

The thump was sickeningly loud, second only to the deafening screeching of brakes as the car came to an immediate stop.

"You hit a _dog_!" Akemi cried, shouldering the passenger door open. "I _told_ you that you were driving too fast!" Her feet hit the ground running and she hurried to the fallen animal, dropping to her knees. _Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god. Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN!_ The big black dog lay motionless along the side of the road. Akemi felt ill suddenly as she stared at it -- had they killed it? She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. The cold, wet ground slicked her hands and soaked through her pants as she knelt, focusing on the animal's side for several seconds.

_It's breathing. Okay, it's breathing. That's a good sign._

She was vaguely aware of the other door opening; the driver approached the dog, looking down at it with an impassive gaze. "It came out of nowhere, Akemi." Takashi folded his arms and shot the beast an annoyed glance. "Get back in the car -- the dog will be all right."

The woman looked over her shoulder, giving her fiancé a cool blue glare. While it was true that the animal had darted out of the woods as if the devil himself had been on its heels, she'd already warned Takashi several times that driving back roads required one to be just a little more careful than driving city streets. "You're suggesting we just... leave? You _hit_ it, Takashi."

He gestured uselessly. "So? I hit a _stray_. Look -- no collar," he added pointedly, jerking his chin at the canine.

She shook her head, making a soft annoyed sound in the back of her throat. Guilt twisted in her gut at the notion of driving off, leaving the animal here by the side of the road. "Fine. Go. I've got my phone -- I'll call Sho-kun."

Rolling his eyes heavenward, Takashi took a step backwards. "You're kidding. You want me... to leave you _here_? What if the dog wakes up? What if it's rabid?"

"He's too well taken care of to be a stray." It was someone's pet -- someone's _family_. "So he won't be rabid." Mean as hell, possibly -- even the best-tempered animals had the potential to be mean when they were in pain. _Dammit._ "Takashi, if you don't want to leave me here, then take me to Sho's." She looked down at the canine again and tentatively reached out with a slightly shaking hand, stroking the dog's smooth black head. The touch drew no reaction from the animal, not even a twitching behind the eyelids.

"Sho's got enough to worry about without you dragging some charity case mutt into the clinic." After a moment, he sighed, and the irritation was gone from his tone; he was suddenly at once both wheedling and placating. "Akemi-chan, come on. Let's call animal control, okay? They'll come and pick him up, and--."

_"What?"_ Akemi stood suddenly, closing the distance between the two of them in several short-legged strides. Her eyes glared ice as she stabbed her index finger in the center of Takashi's chest. "You hit the dog," she said, her voice low. "And even if you're not willing to take some fucking responsibility for your actions, I am. We're taking the dog to Sho's. Are we clear?"

Takashi held his fiancée's glare for several seconds before looking away. "Fine," he muttered. "But we're leaving him with Sho. I don't have time to take care of a dog."

Akemi turned back to the animal, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Let's get him into the car." She stalked back to the coupe, watching as Takashi gathered the black dog into his arms and brought it back to the car, settling it in the back seat.

The couple drove to the veterinary clinic in silence, but when Takashi made a move to get out of the car, Akemi placed a hand on his arm, stilling him. She was still angry, certainly, but it was pointless to hold on to that anger. He'd talked her into taking a half day at work, and they'd had a pleasant afternoon, despite the sharp pang of guilt that came with leaving early. Sending him a small smile, she gave his forearm a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, but you don't need to stay. You've got too much to do tonight. It's not far -- I'll walk home."

He looked at her, to the clinic, and back again. "Walk?" he asked dubiously. "Are you sure you can carry him in? He's pretty big."

"Sure I'm sure. I'll get the dog settled with Sho, and go home." She shrugged. "It's a nice day."

Several seconds passed before Takashi nodded once. "All right, then." He got out of the car and eased the dog out of the back seat before carefully transferring it to Akemi. "Too heavy?"

Akemi grunted as the dog's full weight settled in her arms, but she shook her head, sending the short dark strands swinging. The dog _was_ heavy, but at least it was a short walk into the clinic. "Nah. I'm stronger than I look," she added with a wink.

"And don't I know it." Leaning over, he cupped her face in his hand and brushed a kiss across her lips.

Akemi broke the kiss with a grin. "Now get out of here. Drive safely." Holding his gaze for a moment, her grin widened. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied, reaching out and running his fingers through her hair. "I'll call you when I get to the hotel."

"You'd better." She turned and started walking towards the clinic, pausing only to shoulder the door open as she brought the black dog inside.

XxXxX

"I can't believe that stupid Dog," Kyou muttered, shoving the door open.

"It wasn't his fault, Kyou-kun," Tohru said, reasonably, as she followed the Cat inside. "If I hadn't forgotten the list--"

"Feh," was all he said as he strode into the kitchen to deposit their purchases on the counter. "Don't blame yourself. The kuso nezumi should've--"

"Should have _what?_" Yuki interjected, pausing in the kitchen doorway. "It's no one's fault -- not even Shigure's." He paused. "No matter how hard that is to believe." After a moment, the Rat shrugged a little. "I don't think anyone actually saw anything."

"Will Shigure-san have to get Hatori-san?" Tohru asked, slowly emptying one of the grocery bags.

Yuki shook his head. "I... I don't think so." Frowning slightly, the Rat glanced down the hallway toward Shigure's office. Tilting his head, he made his way closer to the door, left partway open, as if Shigure had left in a hurry.

He had, of course, but that was hours ago. He should have been back by now.

"Shigure?" Yuki peered in his cousin's study. It was empty. The boy's features pulled into a deeper frown -- surely they wouldn't have beaten Shigure back from the market. He turned and headed back to the kitchen. "He's not here."

Tohru's brows drew together; she was still carrying Shigure's abandoned clothes folded over one arm. "That's strange," she replied. "Do you think maybe he went out?"

Kyou leaned against the kitchen counter. "He probably just..." He shrugged. "I dunno, went out for a walk or something. It ain't worth worrying about." His dark eyes watched Tohru carefully. He saw her frown and swore silently at Shigure. _Damn dog. The idiot's probably off just chasing his tail_, he thought, glowering.

"Well," Tohru suggested brightly, turning to the groceries on the counter, "I'm sure he'll be back in time for dinner."

Yuki gave a small smile. "I don't think he's missed one of your meals yet, Honda-san."


	5. Chapter Four: Dog Days

Bump in the Road: Chapter Four

A/N: And another chapter, come and gone. Okay, not really. Endless thanks to Aoi for being a positively gorgeous beta reader, despite illness and the endless idiocy of university administration.

Now, to reply to a couple comments:

**To Milkflavoured**: Everstar and I are both fairly well spoiled with the manga series (and the story would've been set entirely in the manga, but it was too important for Yuki to have done what he did at the end of the anime series, which he didn't do in the manga nekotsuki chapters), so we're trying to be as faithful as possible to the manga. Of course, we're using the characters' coloring as per the anime (ie: Hatori's eyes are green rather than blue, Yuki's eyes are lavender rather than grey, etc), which is why we tried to stress that we're blending anime and manga together for our own evil purposes.

**To Shadowfax**: The cryptic story summary is explained now, yes? ;) (So glad you're enjoying it!)

_.  
._

Chapter Four: Dog Days

_All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts..._

As You Like It, II vii

Shigure's head was _killing_ him. It felt, actually, much like his first hangover. His skull ached and the gray matter housed inside the bone throbbed relentlessly. In fact, the more he thought about it, he realized that the pain wasn't restricted to his head. His entire body felt as if he'd been hit repeatedly by a ton of bricks.

Or, perhaps, a car.

As he gradually became more aware of the world around him, he began registering his surroundings with increasing concern.

The sterile, medicinal scent of the room made his nose twitch, and when he cracked one eye open, he saw that he was on a gleaming examination table in what looked very much like a veterinarian's office. Added to this was the fact that the world was still in grayscale shades; Shigure barely suppressed his groan.

All this, and he was _still_ a dog. _Damn it._

A deep male voice tugged at Shigure's attention, and his ear flicked toward it. "All in all, I'd say your friend here was pretty lucky, given the circumstances. He's banged up fairly badly -- scraped up, too, but he caught the brunt of the blow with his body. He's got a nasty bump on his head and a pretty impressive sprain of the carpus joint along his right forepaw – essentially, it's a sprained wrist. He's a bit worse off along his left side; his ribs are pretty badly bruised, but that's the worst of it."

_Lucky? Who does this guy think he's kidding?_

Then there was a relieved sigh -- Tohru? No, not Tohru. "Damn it, I told him to be more careful."

Definitely not Tohru. He was fairly sure the girl never said anything worse than "darn," if that.

"It was an accident, Akemi."

"I know..."

"So, take him home, let him rest up, and in the meantime, circulate some flyers. A dog like this? Someone's bound to miss him."

There was an unnaturally long pause. It bothered him. People didn't pause like that unless they were about to--

"Can't he... stay here?"

At these words, Shigure's eyes snapped open, only to close again when the bright fluorescent lights caused his pupils to contract painfully. He tried again, opening them more slowly.

The vet, a youngish, neat sort of man, ran a hand through his hair. "Akemi," he sighed, shaking his head. "This is a clinic, not a kennel. You know I'd do almost anything for you, but I _can't_ keep him."

The owner of the feminine voice worried her bottom lip between her teeth before looking down at the floor. "But... what if he's feral?"

"Feral dogs aren't that well-fed."

Shigure was very nearly insulted by this remark. _Well-fed? What's that supposed to mean?_

Akemi wrapped her arms around herself, sparing a glance at Shigure -- she seemed apprehensive that he was awake. "But... what if he's... not friendly?"

The dog on the table snorted softly.

At the soft huff of breath, the veterinarian glanced at Shigure, who was watching them both with a very steady gaze. After several moments, the vet blew out a breath. "I'll tell you what. I'll let him stay here for the _night._ One night -- no longer."

Shigure felt his heart pound a little harder in his already aching chest. _Ohh, no. No cages, thank you very much._ He turned his gaze to the woman who -- he assumed -- had brought him here and sent her his most trustworthy, most sincere, and most _earnest_ gaze. With any luck, it would work as well in his canine form as it did as a biped. _On second thought, I hope it works better than when I'm bipedal._ Uttering a small sound deep in his throat, Shigure slowly -- slowly, because the room felt like it was tipping and twirling -- moved his head towards the woman's hand, nosing it gently.

The vet chuckled with obvious amusement. "I think you insulted him."

The reply came without heat. "Shut up." Akemi's hand glided up his muzzle, coming to rest between his ears, scratching lightly before drifting back behind those ears. Her fingertips drifted across a bump and she gave a sympathetic wince. "Oh god... the poor thing."

Shigure had to suppress a smirk despite his discomfort. These were not the actions of a lady intent upon leaving the premises without him.

"It'll... probably just be for a day or so," she murmured, rubbing his ears gently.

_Yes,_ Shigure agreed silently. _If that long._ He tilted his head against her hand. _Ooh, right there._

"In that case..." The veterinarian was moving purposefully around the examination room, opening drawers and closing them "Let me give him something for the pain. It should make the car ride easier for him -- I'm parked around back." Soon the vet was gathering the loose skin at the scruff of his neck.

_Something for the pain? Well, that sounds promis--_

When the needle jabbed into his skin, Shigure had to clench his jaws shut to keep from swearing. He glared indignantly at the vet, and then at the woman rubbing his ears. Indignation, however, was not long-lived. In fact, it soon faded under a comfortable, fuzzy warmth. He lowered his head to his forepaws and let his eyes slide shut. There was, of course, a sliver -- a _large_ sliver -- of apprehension, even if it wasn't standing up very well under the heaviness inundating his body. As he slipped into slumber, Shigure was fairly positive he wasn't in danger of changing back to normal TOO soon. But the danger existed, certainly.

But, better to transform in a private residence, far, _far_ away from a cage than in a kennel any day of the week.

* * *

As day passed into night, the trio living under Sohma Shigure's roof was beginning to grow concerned. In fact, the elder Sohma's absence brought an almost foreign stillness to the house. 

Three sets of eyes were fixed on the place-setting, three minds thinking three very different things.

_Damn stupid dog. Where the hell is he? It's not like him to miss one of Tohru's meals._

_I hope Shigure-san's all right. I'll put some leftovers together for him so he can have something to eat when he gets in._

_A skipped meal? He's probably with Hatori. But still, he should have left a note. I'll call over there after dinner._

* * *

He could smell food. Very good food. 

Shifting his head against the pillow, Shigure sighed. _What a horrible, strange dream._ A tiny, satisfied sigh escaped his lips. "Smells delicious, Tohru-kun, but, really, you shouldn't have," he murmured to himself before yawning widely and stretching. His wince was immediate, as was the sharp twinge prodding through the content haze that had wrapped itself around him. At some point during these few moments, Sohma Shigure realized something was still very wrong. For starters, he was colorblind. Still.

He looked down at himself. _Oh, just...hell. _

The dream, unfortunately, was not a dream. Bits and snatches came back to him, leaving him with a general sense of unease pervading the drugged haze. Shigure sighed heavily. It wasn't a dream; he was still a dog, and something large and metal with four wheels had pummeled him -- quite effectively, it appeared.

But, he was somewhere comfortable. He stretched again, more carefully this time, and pressed his paws into the soft mattress. Very comfortable.

And, according to his nose, there was food nearby. Even better.

He looked at the door for a moment before glancing at the carpeted floor. "Okay, just take it slow..." he murmured to himself, easing one leg down at a time. "One... down. Good, good." The world felt wobbly and uneven, and he closed his eyes for a second or two to regain his equilibrium. "Two legs... down. Good."

In actuality it was not good, as another twinge came, this time from his right forepaw. He gritted his teeth against the pain and continued his careful descent. "Three... and four." All four legs went weak unexpectedly, and Shigure soon found his nose level with the carpet. _Very good -- quite graceful, really._ He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly; his entire body ached, and now that he'd gone through the effort of getting off the bed, he wanted nothing more than to return to it.

He made another attempt to get to his feet, meeting with only limited success. Odd: he could see his legs, and there were four of them, to be sure. But Shigure was damned if he could feel any of them.

"I think I'll just... stay here," he yawned. "On the floor." He stretched out, facing the open door. There was food being cooked, and while the spirit -- and appetite -- were both willing, the flesh was very weak.

Shigure wasn't sure how much time had passed before the footsteps began approaching. His eyes cracked open in time to see a pair of bare feet stop just short of either kicking him or stepping on him

A tiny, surprised squeak came from somewhere above his head, too far to look right now. The feet disappeared, replaced by knees, and soon a warm hand was against his head, a soft thumb stroking the sensitive spot between his eyes. Shigure closed them blissfully, tail moving feebly of its own accord. His body felt heavy and his mind seemed as if it was edged in cotton, but that -- that slow stroking between his eyes, down his muzzle and then back again... that felt better than words could describe.

When she spoke, her voice was low and soothing. "Hey there, big guy... what're you doing on the floor, hm? My bed not good enough for you?"

Shigure tilted his head slightly and regarded his temporary caretaker blearily. _Mmhmm... yes. Bed. An excellent idea._

Her name was... something. He had a vague snippet of memory -- an impression, really. The veterinarian had called her... something. Ah, well. It would come back to him eventually. He blinked slowly, trying to clear the haze from his vision, but everything still seemed very out-of-focus. She had short dark hair and light eyes -- green possibly, maybe blue, but they appeared grey to his canine vision. Shigure tried to look at her more closely, but her features were blurred by the tranquilizers lingering in his system. He closed his eyes again, giving in to the slow pets across his head.

When he looked again, she had lowered herself down further, leaning on her forearms. The wide neck of her shirt fell a bit and Shigure blinked, trying to clear his vision. Cleavage -- just a hint, the tiniest glimpse. It was blurry, yes, but it was _cleavage._ Shigure had almost managed to will his vision to focus when she shifted slightly. Gone. He swore silently at the unfairness of it. He was injured, he was drugged -- was it asking too much to get a little peek of flesh for his pains?

"...Do you think you could eat? Or should I maybe put you back to bed?" She paused for a moment, tilting her head slightly in an unconscious imitation of the injured "stray." "And... I'm talking to a dog now."

_Mm... you are. And you should really think before you speak. Honestly -- putting the words 'eat' and 'bed' that close together? Tsk. I'm drugged, not dead. _

.  
.

Akemi scratched the base of the dog's ears slowly, sighing; his fur was soft and smooth, and the light ministrations made something begin to unwind somewhere between her shoulders. "You're probably thirsty, huh? I'll be right back." Standing, she strode to the kitchen, coming back a short while later with a wide, shallow bowl filled with cold water. She set it on the floor, settling on her knees. "Baby steps, right? Or, maybe in your case, puppy steps? Drink up."

The dog blinked, clearly caught between the need for more petting and water, then heaved himself up enough to reach the latter. Sighing softly, Akemi sat back, stretching one leg out and pulling the other in against her body. She rested her elbow on the bent knee; propping her chin in her hand, she watched the dog drink from the bowl. "Takashi's going to have a stroke when he sees you," she mused softly. _If he sees you. With any luck, your owners will be out looking for you, and you'll be with them before he finds out._ Grinding her teeth and looking away, a small scowl darkened her features for a moment. "You know, I feel almost as if I should apologize for him, because God knows he wouldn't do it himself." She exhaled in a snort. "Baka."

She glanced back at the dog, which was blinking at her, and she offered him a crooked grin. She'd been worried about bringing an animal into her house -- it was small, with only a narrow strip of grass in the back, barely enough room for a garden, though she did her best. The house had belonged to her grandmother, who left it to Akemi after she died. So it was small, yes, but comfortable. Cozy. And not the sort of place favorable to large dogs, who doubtless required room to move. But, then, the animal was injured and weak, and once Sho pointed out that it would spend most of its time resting, she found herself on the wrong end of a losing argument. Of course, then the dog had looked at her with that steady, honest gaze typical of most canines, and she realized she didn't stand a chance.

"I'm sorry he wasn't driving more carefully," she said quietly. The dog glanced up again and looked up at her, blinking slowly, and for a moment -- just a moment -- it was if the animal seemed to understand. _Mm. And I bet no one's sorrier than you that it happened at all._

Akemi held the dog's gaze for a few seconds before scolding herself silently for her silliness. With a quiet sigh, she pushed herself to her feet and padded off to the kitchen. She stood in front of the stove for a moment before taking a plate and piling it with steaming beef strips. She served herself from the same pan, adding a little rice to her dish. When she returned to her bedroom, she set the plate next to the dish of water and took a seat on the edge of her bed. Pulling her legs up, she ate slowly, watching the dog contemplatively.

_.  
._

Shigure felt her eyes on him, but kept his attention on the food placed before him. It was, he realized, better than he'd expected. Of course, if she wasn't an animal owner -- and his nose told her she wasn't -- then it made sense that she'd have no dog food on hand. And for that his stomach was _very_ thankful. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was still watching him, chewing thoughtfully on the end of one chopstick.

"I should probably call you something," she murmured.

Shigure froze. _Well, yes. A name certainly makes sense, doesn't it?_ It wasn't as if he could have told her his, and it wasn't as if he could have expected her to guess. He swallowed the fragrant, tender beef strips and kept his gaze away from the woman, wondering how long he'd have to endure answering to any number of silly dog names.

"You're awfully lucky to have gotten through that with as little damage as you did, you know."

He turned back to his dinner and continued eating. That did it -- he was going to be named an adjective, wasn't he? "Lucky" or "Lumpy," or something equally--

"Hmm... Kuroi?"

He looked up._ Eh? Kuroi? _

"Well, you looked. I guess you're stuck with it until someone claims you, hm?" She brought a piece of meat to her mouth and nibbled at it.

_Well, it is better than "Pochi." And slightly more accurate, too, given my coloring. I suppose I can live with it for a day or so. _

At that point, an electronic trilling came from somewhere. The woman set her bowl down on the bed and got up to answer it, leaving Shigure to finish his dinner. He lapped at the water in the dish, his brow creased in a thoughtful frown as he listened to her walk away. His ears were trained on the soft thudding of her steps; they grew quicker - she must have started running for the phone. Light bumping was followed by muttered swears before a bright and slightly breathless, "Hello?"

Shigure listened to the one-sided conversation shamelessly as he contemplated his situation. Things could have been worse, definitely. For starters, he could have been killed. Paralyzed-

"Takashi, I expected to hear from you hours ago..."

- or left on the side of the road. Instead, he was somewhere warm and comfortable, eating what tasted like very good steak. So, in that respect, yes, he was lucky.

Wait. Takashi? _As in, he who hit me with his Toyota?_ Shigure's ears twitched as he listened more closely.

"No, no, of course - train delay. I just..." There was a brief pause and she chuckled before adding playfully, "Yes, you poor, abused, maligned thing. Forced to wait for your train with the rest of the plebeians. And now you're, where?" There was another pause. "Ooh, very nice. Swanky, one might say."

Soft footfalls started back toward the room and Shigure looked up, cocking his head as she entered, trying once more to latch on to whatever her name was. He knew that he knew -- he just couldn't _remember_. She held a small cellular phone to her ear, chattering happily as she reclaimed her seat on the bed, taking the bowl on her lap.

She smiled at something the speaker said. "No, no... nothing like that. I was just beginning to worry," she said into the phone, tapping her chopsticks on the side of the dish. "But you probably had plenty of time to go over your notes for your lecture. So, call that a silver lining."

It was rude to eavesdrop, but Shigure found himself doing it with no compunctions. His ear flicked once as he swallowed the last piece of meat in the dish. There was a brief pause before she spoke again. "Good, good..." Dark brows lifted slightly as she listened to the voice on the other end of the line. "Oh. Right." She paused awkwardly, sending Shigure what looked to him like a very guilty glance. "Actually, that's a funny story. See, Sho _couldn't_ keep him, so..." She trailed off, biting her lip. "Well," she said reasonably, "I'm sure it'll only be for a few days. Someone's bound to claim him. He's a beautiful animal."

Shigure puffed up slightly as he continued to pretend that he wasn't listening.

"Taka!" she exclaimed, her tone both affectionate and scolding. After a moment, she let out a soft huff of disbelieving laughter. "I hope you're kidding." There was another pause as her brows twitched together, and when she spoke again, her voice sounded somewhat different -- lower, more serious. "I'm not going to take him to the animal shelter."

Shigure's brows lifted as he watched at her. _Sounds like "Taka " isn't a dog lover. _He frowned slightly._ The sooner I get out of here, the better._

"Just some X-rays, and a prescription." Color flooded the woman's face until she seemed to be burning with it as she looked down, fixing her gaze on the food in her dish. "No, Sho didn't charge me."

_Hm. She's lying. _

Her face flamed further and her eyes widened in shock. "Takashi!"

_Why do I have a feeling Takashi-san just offered up a less than flattering speculation as to why Sho-san didn't charge for services he clearly charged for?_ Stretching a bit, and wincing as he reminded himself he simply shouldn't attempt to move anymore, Shigure yawned widely, gingerly pushing himself up into a sitting position._ All right. Enough of this. _

Moving carefully, trying to remain aware of his limbs, he got to his feet. Once again, his right forepaw twinged, and he clenched his jaws against the expletive that wanted to escape. Cautiously, he padded over to the bed, where he sat again, resting his head on her knee. He'd been promised a bed, had he not? He aimed a pair of particularly soulful brown eyes on her, and when she finally looked down at him, her expression softened, her hand once more going to his head.

"Takashi, I've got to go. We'll talk about this later." A small, lopsided grin lifted her lips when Shigure arched into her touch. "Ah... I've got something on the stove. I'll see you in a few days." The smile warmed slightly. "I love you too. ...Bye." She snapped the phone shut and stood, stretching. "All right, you. I know you're full and happy..." She tilted her head. "And probably blissed out on whatever Sho shot you up with, but I'd rather not wake up to any rude surprises--"

_My dear woman, that might just be unavoidable..._

"--so let's get you outside for a bit, eh?"

_Outside? What on earth could you think to accomplish by..._

And then it hit him. Outside? Outside. He was supposed to do... _that_? _Outside?_ He arched an eyebrow at her, a gesture that went by largely unnoticed.

_I don't think so. You're cute, but you're not that cute._

And yet, a warm hand was carefully gathering the fur at the scruff of his neck. "Come on. Get up."

A deep whine formed in his throat as he turned and started to follow her, grimacing again when he took a step. As Shigure limped after her, the whine faded when his eyes settled on two back pockets. He tilted his head as she walked, her hips swaying with her gait. Certainly he'd always realized the advantages to having his eyes at this level, but it was always nice to have the occasional reminder.

She crossed what looked like a living room before reaching a sliding door, which she pulled open. "There you go. A whole fenced-in yard, all to yourself."

Shigure sat upon his haunches and looked first at the door, and then at the petite woman holding it open. He looked back and forth for several seconds.

_No. Nope. No way._

There were some things even he could not make himself do. He'd learn to embrace some of the more... normal canine traits for as long as he was here, but Shigure absolutely, positively refused to budge on this one tiny detail.

"Come on, you," she said, nodding toward the door. "As cute as you are, if you think I'm of a mind to clean up that kind of mess, you're nuts."

Shigure very nearly groaned at the blatant unfairness of it. He wasn't _really_ a dog, after all. Why should he have been expected to behave like one in _all _respects? He looked over his shoulder. There had to be a bathroom in the house. Had to be. He then looked at his paws, sighing inwardly._ That would make things a little more difficult, wouldn't it?_

"Kuroi," she said reasonably, leaning against the door. "Please -- sometime tonight?" She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered slightly at a light but potent breeze. "I won't watch. Promise."

Shigure stood slowly, his head bowed as he tried to retrieve the remaining scattered shreds of his dignity. He hated it -- it went against every fiber of his being, but... at the moment, he had no other choice. He could feel his tail droop as he reluctantly padded outside. Outside, into the cold. He sighed again.

The Sohma was having a hard time remembering a moment when he'd hated his curse more.

* * *

Crickets chirped, but the night was otherwise silent. The three occupants of Sohma Shigure's house were trying very hard not to appear at all concerned over the elder Sohma's absence. It was by now late in the evening, and he'd not returned. 

Yuki stood in the hallway, the phone to his ear as he idly twirled the phone cord around his index finger. He counted the rings absently, wondering -- worrying, really -- about his cousin. Had he gone off and simply forgotten to leave a note? Possibly -- but that wasn't like him. Yes, Shigure could be a great many things -- but blatantly thoughtless? He had to know that disappearing like this was bound to make them worry.

The boy started slightly when the deep, familiar voice came over the line. "Hatori," he said in his quiet, intense way, "I'm sorry to bother you at this hour."

"Nonsense, Yuki," the Dragon replied. "Is everything all right?"

"Actually... I was wondering if you'd seen Shigure."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the connection. "Have I... seen him?"

"Yes," Yuki replied, winding the cord tighter around his finger. "He's been gone all day -- we thought maybe he was with you, but when he didn't return for dinner, we began to worry."

"And he... hasn't been there at all?" the doctor asked curiously.

Yuki was careful to keep his voice down; he didn't want to worry Honda-san needlessly, although it was probably too late for that. He sighed. "No, we haven't seen him since this afternoon. He transformed at the market. We actually thought we'd find him here when we came back, but..."

"But there's been no sign of him," Hatori said softly.

"None."

The faint snick of a lighter met Yuki's ears before a static-laden exhale came through the line. "Have you spoken with Ayame yet? Shigure may well be with him."

The younger Sohma said nothing for a moment or two. "No, I haven't called him yet."

Hatori maintained a judicious silence that lasted for several seconds. "Would you like me to speak with him?"

Yuki considered this for a moment, as it was an extraordinarily appealing option. If Shigure found out how worried he'd made them, Yuki had absolutely no doubt he would revel in the concern -- and possibly take advantage of it. And if Ayame knew, he would unwittingly assist Shigure.

The Rat's silence spoke volumes to Hatori

"Keep looking tonight, Yuki. If there's no sign of Shigure, I'll phone Ayame in the morning."

* * *

In another part of the house, far from the hallway where Yuki stood, speaking in hushed tones to Hatori, Tohru knelt on the porch, looking out into the thick forest. She could see next to nothing under the moonlight, but still she looked, still she gazed out into the darkness, her ears straining for some sound, some noise that would preface Shigure-san's return. 

He'd come back -- he had to come back. He had to be safe. It couldn't be happening again -- not _again_, after all this time, and not to Shigure-san. Had she said it to him? Those words? Had she told him to stay safe? Had she even _thought_ the words to him as he scrambled out of the grocery store amidst curious exclamations? Should she have followed to make sure he--

"Oi."

Tohru started, looking over her shoulder. She could only just make out Kyou's silhouette in the dark.

"He's coming back."

She nodded once. "I-I know. I just... don't think he'd want--"

Kyou's footsteps were silent on the boards as his figure drew closer to her. "He's probably just off goofing around with Ayame or something. Don't worry, okay? He's not worth making yourself sick over." He offered her his hand to help her to her feet. "Get some sleep, all right?" A moment of heavy silence passed between them and Tohru nodded, taking Kyou's hand. He tugged her to her feet, wincing suddenly.

Tohru's eyes went huge with worry. "Kyou-kun, are you--"

"I'm fine," he muttered tersely before letting go. After only a brief hesitation, Tohru padded inside, pausing in the doorway to smile back at him before vanishing into the house. Kyou remained, striding to the spot the girl had abandoned and looking outside.

_You'd better be fine, stupid mutt. If you've upset her for no damn good reason, I'm gonna break a shoji with your thick head._

Kyou stood, his arms folded over his chest, glowering into the dark nothingness. His thoughts were similarly dark, focused primarily on exactly _what_ he was going to say to Shigure when he finally decided to show up. He turned his head slightly. "What do _you_ want?"

Yuki's steps were silent as he joined his cousin on the porch. "I just spoke with Hatori."

"And?"

The Rat followed the Cat's gaze, staring off into the shadowy foliage. "He hasn't seen Shigure at all today."

The taller boy blew out a long, frustrated breath, managing to mask the wince that followed as a sharp pang shot up from his ribs. "So, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It may mean," Yuki replied quietly, "that Shigure's with my brother."

"So we'd have to thank him for not bringing Ayame _here._"

Yuki nodded. "It may also mean that we're going to have to find him. Hatori's going to call Ayame in the morning if Shigure doesn't come back. In the meantime, we should probably make sure that he isn't around here somewhere."

Nodding once, Kyou lowered himself from the porch. "Stay with her. I'm gonna go back to the market to see if I can find out where the hell he went."

Yuki opened his mouth to reply, but Kyou was already walking away, the stiffness in his movements giving away the fact that his injury was still bothering him. In his wake, Yuki could hear the underbrush rustle with the movement of small, lithe, feline bodies. But soon that too ended.

Once alone, the Rat closed his eyes and sat down, blowing out a breath. Too many things were piling onto themselves. Graduation was approaching quickly, and there was still a great deal of university preparation to be done -- more so, in fact, given that he wouldn't be going to school in Kyoto. And now they had Shigure's absence to contend with.

In truth, Yuki was quite concerned for his cousin. But something inside of him tried to hold back on that anxiety in an attempt to keep from indulging it too completely, because this was still _Shigure_ they were dealing with. While this behavior wasn't normal, neither was it entirely outside the realm of possibility. And the moment Shigure believed any of them to have been at all worried about him, he would embrace the situation and take full advantage of it. It was far better to let the Dog think they hadn't been worried at all.

Suddenly, Yuki shook his head a little, an almost fond gesture. _Well, aside from Honda-san, of course. _

Her concern for the welfare of others was such an integral part of her personality, it was foolish to expect her to turn it on and off, like a switch. She would, whether they wanted her to or not, worry about Shigure enough for all of them. Neither he nor Kyou _liked_ to see her fret, and they would do all in their power to keep her from sliding into a complete frenzy (something for which she also had a propensity). But there were some things you couldn't change about a person, and even if you _could_, that didn't mean you'd _want_ to.

The situation was nowhere near as cut and dry as the Rat would have liked. On the one hand, he hoped something _had _happened to Shigure, because it would explain the situation more neatly than it would if the Dog had simply traipsed off somewhere. It also made Yuki, at least, less inclined to harbor anger at his cousin, if he was actually hurt. On the other hand, Yuki sincerely hoped that Shigure _was_ all right, because he did not want the responsibility of breaking the news to Honda-san, who, defying all logic, was genuinely fond of the Dog.

Besides that, if the unspeakable _had_ happened, there was no telling where the three of them would end up. Kyou would go to Shihan's obviously, but what were Honda-san's options? What were _his_?

Closing his eyes, Yuki rubbed tiredly at his face. _You'd better be all right, stupid Dog. But you'd better have a damned good reason for disappearing like this._


	6. Ch Five: Not in Kansas Anymore

Bump in the Road: Chapter Five

A/N: This chapter took a little longer than others -- sorry! RL intervened, as it tends to do sometimes. Anyway, great thanks to Aoi for being a fabu beta reader, despite her zany schedule. XD

Chapter Five: Not in Kansas Anymore

_I am not what I am._

Othello I i

Faint pink light filtered through the window, pricking at Shigure's closed eyes. As the annoyance tugged him from slumber, the Sohma found that his mind was somewhat clearer this morning. His body, however, suffered from this newfound clarity. The discomfort he'd felt the night before had been bothersome, but significantly muted by... whatever the hell the vet had stuck him with. But now, _now_ his ribs were aching beyond anything he could have ever conceived. How on earth had Kyou tolerated such an injury -- not once, but _twice_? His wrist was tender and throbbing painfully, and his head was positively _killing_ him. The Dog felt like he'd had a run-in with the wrong end of a cement mixer.

_Ah, yes. There's nothing like pain to remind you that you're still alive -- and that it's no fun being a speed-bump._

Prying his eyes open, Shigure lay on his side, his head resting on one of the pillows; the sheets smelled fresh and crisp, and for a moment he was reminded of home. Tohru-kun always managed to keep things so... nice.

_Hm. Tohru-kun. She's probably worried by now. That is, if she's had time to _get_ worried, mediating between Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun. God knows _that's_ a full-time job._

But still, the girl had a big heart, putting others before herself. She was probably quite worried. The knowledge brought him a twinge of guilt; he blew out a soft sigh and rolled over gingerly, noticing for the first time that a bandage was wrapped around his torso, binding his ribs. It was uncomfortable, but whether that discomfort came from the bandages or the ribs themselves, he wasn't sure.

His -- hmm... what was she, exactly? Caregiver? Benefactress? Well, whatever she was, and whoever -- her name still eluded him -- she was still quite asleep. The woman was sprawled on her stomach; her head was turned away from him, dark hair spilling across the pillow while at the same time sticking up in places. Shigure lifted his head slightly and squinted at the clock.

_Ugh. Still far too early to get excited about anything. _He burrowed back against the bedding with a soft, sleepy mutter.

Just as slumber had started to wind its gossamer strands around the drowsing canine, a loud, brash buzzing shattered the cozy silence of the bedroom. Shigure started suddenly, jerked awake, and was immediately reminded of why he shouldn't make any sudden movements. Clenching his jaws shut against a litany of invectives, he closed his eyes tightly and waited for the wave of pain to subside.

_Thwack!_

The bedroom was plunged into silence once more, although Shigure was of the opinion that she hadn't hit the clock nearly hard enough.

A low groan came from his side, and he forced his eyes open, looking up blearily, his ears flicking once. The woman was sitting up slowly, pushing the covers back before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing. Boxer shorts were slung low on her hips, and the strap of her tank top had slipped off one shoulder. With barely a grunt and hardly any acknowledgment at all to anything around her, she trudged into what appeared to Shigure's unfocused eyes to be an adjoining bathroom.

The dog closed his eyes again, intent upon recapturing his lost doze, although that seemed to be less and less likely as his injuries began complaining more heartily. He lay very still; he could hear her thumping around in the next room -- water splashed in the sink, and there was the sound of teeth being brushed. As he listened, concentrating on something other than the painful throbbing radiating throughout his entire body, he felt himself slide gradually into the twilight between wakefulness and slumber.

But when the soft rustle of clothing hitting the floor met Shigure's sensitive ears, his eyes flickered open in time to see a pair of bare breasts before they were shamefully covered up by a gray sports bra. Discomfort momentarily forgotten, the canine's eyes widened and his tail gave a light, reflexive thud against the bed.

Many, many things occurred to the Sohma at that moment, starting with the boxer shorts sliding down her legs, left in a puddle on the floor ---

_Oh, to be those shorts..._

--- and ending with the realization that this had the potential to be an interesting convalescence.

A pair of running shorts slid up her legs.

_A very interesting convalescence indeed._

She fished a pair of short, white athletic socks out of a drawer and rooted around in her closet before coming out with a pair of sneakers dangling from her fingers. Rolling her shoulders, she headed for the door, pausing only long enough to glance at him over her shoulder.

"I'll be right back. No wild parties, okay?" And she was gone.

When Shigure heard the front door close, he eased himself off the bed and peered out the bedroom window, which offered a spectacularly unhelpful view of the _back_ yard.

"Ow, ow, ow, dammit..." he muttered, limping -- and wincing with each step -- out of the bedroom and into the sitting room. He found a window looking out over the front walk, but there was no one to be seen. Shigure muttered another mild oath. She was probably going running – Shigure couldn't imagine what else she would have been planning to do, dressed in such a way. It occurred to him that this was an excellent opportunity to find a phone and call the house – or, better yet, Ha-san.

The dog glanced again at the front window and frowned. Perhaps it was wiser to wait until she left for work before he tried finding a telephone. There was a cell phone around somewhere – she'd been on it the night before – but even if he found it, there was the small problem of figuring out how to open it, much less dial. Yes, waiting to call sounded like the best idea.

...Actually, going back to bed sounded like the _best_ idea.

Moving very carefully, he crawled back onto the bed and lay on his uninjured side. His wrist -- paw -- ached with this position and, with a groan, Shigure shifted again, settling on his stomach. He let his eyes drift shut for a moment; once his hostess left for work, he'd find a phone and call the house to let Tohru-kun, Yuki-kun, and Kyou-kun know he was all right. There was, of course, the small matter of _dialing_ the phone, but how hard could it be? Cracking open one eye, he looked at his paws and let out a soft whine.

Still, paws aside, it was worth a try. Then either they would come and "claim" him, or Ha-san would, bringing him home to recuperate in his _own_ bed. It wasn't that his mystery benefactress' bed was uncomfortable, but Shigure was experiencing a fair amount of trepidation about his pending transformation. It would come eventually, once he had recovered a bit more. He was in pain and weak, and already starting to wish that vet friend of hers would come around and dole out another shot. Transformation wasn't an immediate worry, but it was still causing him a fair bit of anxiety.

It was while he was entertaining these thoughts that Shigure fell into a light doze again. He heard the front door open and close, and mentally registered that the woman had returned. When she came into the room, she smelled of crisp air and sweat. Shigure cracked an eye open long enough to see her pull the tie from her hair, letting it fall in damp clumps that didn't quite reach her shoulders. But when she pulled off the sports bra, darkened with perspiration, the other eye opened. She'd soon shed the shorts as well and had scooped all of her clothes up into her arms, depositing the entire bundle into a laundry basket. Pulling a dark robe from a nearby hook, she disappeared into the adjoining bathroom once more.

When the shower started running, he uttered a content sigh. Speaking from a strictly visual perspective, it was certainly enough to take his mind off of his discomfort, albeit temporarily. _Like they say,_ he thought, _carpe eyeful._

Shigure inhaled deeply and caught a hint of the scented steam coming through the open bathroom door.

The dog lifted his head and blinked. Her bathroom door was _open? _Open?

The door was open. Wide open. From his spot on the bed, Shigure could make out her figure moving behind the frosted shower door.

_Well, this is certainly different._

At that moment, the Dog would have liked nothing better than to get out of bed and move from one room to the next and take a closer look (a much closer look) at his hostess, but he'd already ventured out of bed once that morning, and the very idea of leaving the comfortable nest of sheets and blankets sounded too painful to consider.

Then the door slid open, and Shigure's vision was filled with a naked woman, rubbing a towel across her skin and squeezing water from her hair.

_You know, it could be worse. It could be a lot worse._

Shigure watched, rapt, as she dropped forward at the waist, wrapping the towel around her head, winding her hair in it; when the angle became less than favorable, he wiggled around slightly until he could see her fully. He watched her move, his eyes growing heavy, and when she shrugged into the robe, belting it tightly at her waist, he let his eyes close.

After a few moments, Shigure drifted into a light doze as his benefactress pattered around in her bathroom. Where was she going? Work, probably, which meant that it was... Thursday? No, not Thursday. Yesterday was Thursday. Friday, then.

He'd already been gone a whole day. Shigure felt faintly ill at this realization; doubtless Tohru had already started to worry. He closed his eyes, cringing. Tohru-kun. Yes, she was probably already sick with worry.

He _had_ to get home.

Soft footfalls and a light breeze made Shigure open his eyes again. His hostess was standing in front of an open closet, surveying its contents with all the concentration of a chess-master contemplating his final move. Several outfits came out, which she regarded seriously before tossing a skirt and sweater on the foot of the bed. Shigure observed her, resting his head on a tangled lump of blankets. She then walked to a tall dresser and pulled open the topmost drawer, selecting several scraps of silken material and dropping them on top of the outfit. Shigure blew out a sigh. _Why this always seems to take women so long I'll never kno---_

The robe fell from her shoulders and was draped over the open drawer. Shigure blinked, lifting his head as she began dressing. It occurred to him that after sharing a meal and by this point having seen her completely naked several times in one morning, it wasn't too presumptuous to start calling her by her given name. Granted, he still had no earthly idea _what_ her given name was. But, since she had named him, there was nothing stopping him from returning the favor.

As long as I'm going to be watching you in these situations, I suppose I should call you something. He pondered for a moment. I could name you after the last person who got naked with-- oh, wait. No, no, I shouldn't call you Ayame. That would be far too -- oh my god, are those thongs?

He shook himself slightly, dragging his attention back to the point and away from the scrap of satin clinging to the curve of her hip.

A name. Right.

He watched her -- the tip of her tongue peeking out past her lips as she dressed, her fingers combing carelessly through her hair, smoothing out errant strands -- trying to divine what her name possibly could have been. Of course, when she dropped to her hands and knees in search of her shoes, he couldn't help but appreciate the way her skirt tightened across her backside, and his attention was therefore somewhat distracted. He straightened up a bit and looked down at her, tilting his head in consideration, and when she arched her back, reaching further into the depths of her closet, Shigure shook his head. _She really should think twice before getting into a position like _that._ Honestly. _

She stood suddenly, running a hand through her hair and blowing the stray strands out of her face. "Found 'em!" she cried, holding a pair of heels aloft, a victorious smile curving her mouth.

_Yes. Very nice. Perhaps you wouldn't mind looking for something _else_ now? Something very hard to find and in the furthermost reaches of your closet?_ He looked up at the petite woman, and then at the closet to emphasize his point. Much to Shigure's chagrin, the hint didn't take. Instead, she reached over, rubbing his neck.

"Hungry, Kuroi?"

Shigure sent her his most winsome look. _Actually, watching you look for your shoes worked up quite an appetite._

"Well, come on, then." She turned and strode from the room, shoes dangling from her fingertips. Shigure sighed and followed slowly.

When he reached the kitchen, he saw her standing at the stove. He shot a glance at the clock on the wall and looked again at his temporary caretaker. "I hope warmed over table scraps are all right." She looked over her shoulder at him. "I did a little research and... did you know that eggs are good for dogs?" Shrugging, she turned her attention back to the stove. "I never knew that. Liver, too. And fish."

_Yes, yes, all of those sound quite delicious. Maybe not the liver and fish at the same time, of course, but really, I think you need to go back and search for something in your closet. Or under your bed – surely there's something you need for work that you keep under your bed..._

He watched her intently, noting her somewhat anxious glances in the clock's direction. After a few more moments, she set a large, wide dish on the floor. It held some of the beef strips from the night before, a sliced boiled egg, and broiled liver, which was mixed in with some rice.

"It's a lot, I know. But you're on your own today. Hopefully, it'll hold you." She refilled the dish of water and placed it next to the food before standing back and looking down at him thoughtfully. "I'm keeping the back door open for you, so use it -- please. Mrs. Sato -- she's the crabby, elderly woman next door -- knows I'm keeping the door open, so don't mind her if you see anyone peering over the fence. She's probably just keeping an eye out for... I don't know. Robbers, maybe. Aliens. Possibly pirates. Hard to tell. But she's harmless."

Dropping another quick pat against the side of his neck, she strode out of the kitchen. Shigure followed out of curiosity, watching as she slipped into her heels and shrugged into a coat before shouldering a heavy satchel. Her hand was on the door when she stopped and looked at him once more. "Go on -- eat up. I'll be back later." A faint, slightly lopsided grin quirked her lips for a moment before she opened the door and stepped out into the bright, cold morning.

The door closed and the small house was plunged into silence. Shigure sighed and turned back to the tiny kitchen. Breakfast first, then telephone. Settling down in front of his dish, he sighed, nosing the food around for a moment before digging in. Once he finished his breakfast, he'd set about to letting someone know where he was -- and, furthermore, that he was all right.

Shigure was yawning before he finished his meal. A heavy, comfortable fuzziness had settled itself in his brain, adding a soft, blurred edge to things around him. It occurred to Shigure that perhaps he'd be in a better mind to locate and dial a phone after a tiny nap. Limping carefully, he found his way back to the bedroom, where he crawled up onto the bed and settled on his side. Drowsy warmth wrapped around the Dog, and he closed his eyes. The sharp edge that had been with him almost since he'd woken up began to abate slightly, and he sighed in relief.

Shigure had just slid into a comfortable doze when a clatter came from the front of the house, rousing him. His mind muddled, he lifted his head and blinked in an effort to clear his vision. Hurried footsteps thudded through the house, and just as a low, instinctive growl made its way through his throat, his benefactress ran into the bedroom, frazzled.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit," she breathed. "Where is it? Dammit!"

His gaze followed her as she tore through the bedroom, increasingly flustered. In the midst of her mad search, she cast a glance down at her watch and groaned pitifully. "Where _is_ it?"

She strode to her side of the bed and dropped to her knees. Suddenly interested, Shigure inched his way across the mattress, looking down at her. After a moment, she straightened, holding the coveted item in her hand: the tiny cell phone she'd been using the night before.

Shigure's gaze traveled upwards as she stood and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt. She was flustered and out of breath -- she must have run all the way back. A tiny snort passed through his nose as he resisted the urge to shake his head. _My rescuer, ladies and gentlemen._ But even as the thought chased through his mind, Shigure caught himself fighting a smile. _I suppose these are progressive times, after all -- princesses rescuing princes from certain doom._

And then she stopped, shooting him a rueful grin. "I know. I'm hopeless." Reaching down, she delivered a gentle scratch behind the ears. "Sorry if I woke you, big guy. Get a little rest now." And then she was gone again.

Shigure resituated himself on the bed, letting his eyes close as he once again gave in to the drowsiness that had infused his limbs. He rested his head against her pillow, inhaling deeply. A trace of mint met his nose, and it struck Shigure that the scent was not unlike the steam that had filled the bathroom. He found it oddly comforting. "I'll certainly do my best, hime-chan."

XxXxX

The February morning dawned bright and cold; winter's lingering touch made puffs of steam drift past his lips as he exhaled. Hatori leaned against the open door, staring unseeingly at the rock garden, a lit cigarette smoldering between his fingers. Yuki's early morning call echoed through his mind; he could still hear the young man's voice, rough with fatigue, telling Hatori precisely that which he did not want to hear.

Shigure hadn't returned.

He'd told Yuki not to worry too much yet. He'd told them to go to school, and that he'd make a few phone calls to see if he could figure out where the wayward Dog had gone.

Hatori didn't want them to worry, despite the fact that he'd started already.

There were limits to Shigure's behavior. Certainly, the Dog could behave frivolously -- Hatori knew that better than most -- but still, this was incredibly unlike him. He avoided unwanted company, yes, but did not disappear without a trace. If he snuck off to avoid a deadline, he usually dragged either Hatori or Ayame along with him (occasionally both). It wasn't unlike him to leave; it was unlike him to leave without _warning._

And even if he was given to taking off without an explanation, Hatori was quite certain Shigure would not have done such a thing to Honda-kun.

And this was why Hatori promised himself -- as he strode into his office and picked up the telephone -- that if Shigure _had_ done such a thing, and _had_ spent the entire evening at Ayame's without letting anyone know, he and that damned Dog were going to have words. He tapped out the sequence of familiar digits and closed his eyes as the muted electronic trilling hummed in his ear.

When Ayame's voice came over the line, the sheer volume of it made Hatori pull the phone away from his ear as he lowered himself into the chair. "Moshi Moshiii!"

_At least he's awake,_ he thought, wincing. A slumbering Ayame was nearly impossible to rouse, particularly during the winter months. "Ayame, I--"

But his friend was in very high spirits this morning; Hatori could hear the light clinking of china on the other end of the line, and he could almost see Ayame kneeling gracefully at the low table in his parlor, setting down a delicate, hand-painted teacup on a matching saucer. "Ahh! 'Tori-san! My heart sings to hear the voice of one so dear to me so early in the sparkling light of day--"

"--Ayame," he broke in again. There was a soft, inquiring sound as Ayame took a sip of what Hatori was quite certain was jasmine tea. "I need to speak with Shigure."

"''Gure-san?" the Snake replied, confusion evident in his voice. After a moment, he laughed heartily. "'Tori-san, are you getting old? If you're looking for 'Gure-san, you should call the right number!"

Hatori's frown was immediate. Ayame's puzzlement was too genuine, his surprise too sincere. "You mean he isn't... with you?"

"No, no -- 'Gure-san and I are meeting for lunch _tomorrow_!" Again, Ayame laughed delightedly. "Ah... I can see how you might have become confused. I am unable to stop myself from counting the hours, even minutes, until we can be together again--"

Processing this information, the Dragon felt a faint, nauseating twinge in his stomach. _He's not there. _"Ayame," he interrupted tersely, "--this is very important. Do you know if Shigure has any deadlines approaching?"

"Hmm..." Ayame murmured, growing thoughtful. There was a light, quick tapping -- a spoon against the teacup, most likely. "Deadlines, deadlines... No, no, I don't think so. 'Gure-san assured me he was ahead of schedule. We were going to lunch to celebrate his latest masterpiece, which he was certain he'd be done with well before tomorrow. After that, he's not due to begin another for a month while he relaxes. Although I'm quite certain he's started on it already -- you know how our brilliant, wily 'Gure-san loves to stay ahead of Mit-chan!"

"Damn it," Hatori muttered, raking a hand through his bangs. "Ayame, I spoke with Yuki last night and--"

"Yuki?" The Snake's voice doubled in volume and raised half an octave. "You spoke with Yuki? How is he? Did he speak of me? Were there words of admiration and love spilling from his lips when he heard of the concern I hold inside for his--"

Usually, Hatori was able to maintain his patience with Ayame. He understood that his friend was easily excitable, particularly in matters concerning Yuki. But it was growing increasingly difficult to maintain that hold on his patience. "--_Ayame. _Shigure's missing."

The silence on the other end of the line was vast. Hatori's words had come more abruptly -- snappishly -- than he had wanted, but with each revelation, Hatori had felt the dread pool in his stomach, chilling him. Shigure wasn't with Ayame. Ayame hadn't _seen_ Shigure. Shigure had no known deadlines. Shigure's frivolousness was not, as many were wont to believe, boundless. He did not disappear in order to bring attention onto himself. That simply wasn't his _way._ No, going to Ayame's and staying until all hours of the night, drinking tea and reminiscing on their youth, opening a bottle of sake, perhaps -- that was Shigure's way. Hatori had fully expected Ayame to hand the phone to Shigure, who would laugh merrily when Hatori told him the children were worried about him.

_"Worried about me?"_ he would have said, sniffling dramatically and dabbing at his eyes. _"I'm so touched!"_

But... Shigure wasn't with Ayame. Shigure didn't seem to be _anywhere._

_Damn it!_

"...Missing?" Ayame echoed softly. There was a beat of silence before he laughed again, loudly. "How ridiculous! I must have misheard something, 'Tori-san... perhaps the connection of the phone is failing. And there are cars and--"

"No, Ayame," the Dragon broke in gently. "Shigure's missing. He transformed at the market yesterday, and when Yuki, Kyou, and Honda-kun returned to the house, he wasn't there. He hasn't returned. I thought for certain that he was with you."

There was more silence on the line, and Hatori winced at it. Ayame let out a short, ragged, breath before inhaling sharply. "... Shigure is--?" More static-filled silence followed and Hatori closed his eyes as he listened to Ayame struggle with the news. "I-I... Who is at 'Gure-san's home, Hatori? He might have called -- he could be calling now!" Panic resonated in Ayame's voice, and it took on a raw edge, completely unlike the typically smooth baritone. "Has he called you? Did I miss a message on my phone--"

Again, Hatori interrupted, silently cursing the fact that he hadn't gone to Ayame's in person to find Shigure. But then, he'd been so _sure_ that the Dog would _be_ there "Ayame, listen to me," he said calmly, reassuringly. "Yuki, Kyou, and Honda-kun are there now -- they'll be leaving for school shortly. He hasn't phoned them, and he hasn't called me. As far as we know, he hasn't called anyone. But, Ayame, please -- _please_ try and stay calm. Please try."

"Hatori, how can I be _calm_? Where could he have gone? If -- if he has transformed, any number of terrible fates could have befallen him! What if he's hurt? What if he's been found by authorities? Or--"

"If he'd been arrested, he would have called," the Dragon pointed out, calmly.

"No, no!" Ayame exclaimed. "If he transformed--" The words broke off suddenly and again, the doctor winced in sympathy. "Have you called the pound? What if he's been taken to an animal shelter? They might do inappropriate things--"

Hatori rested an elbow on the desk, propping his head in his hand, his palm cool against his forehead. "I'm sure they'll start looking for him as soon as possible. They wouldn't want Honda-kun to worry needlessly. She knows he's missing, but they're trying to keep her from... assuming the worst." But, as the young woman was given to worrying about the welfare of those close to her, it was Hatori's opinion that nothing either Yuki or Kyou could do that would circumvent that. Privately, the doctor believed they themselves were more worried than they were letting on, but were determined to put on a brave face for Honda-kun.

There was a brief pause, and when Ayame spoke again, his voice was strained and soft.

"Did you find anything? A note? A message? Where have you looked for him? Could he have been in an accident? He could be hurt, Hatori!"

Sighing hard, the Dragon leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes. "I haven't been out looking for him yet, Ayame. Until now I believed him to be with you. I understand the boys looked for him last night, but with limited light, that was probably difficult. They're going to keep searching today -- the property around the house, animal shelters, veterinary clinics--" Perhaps taking the boys out of school for the day would be best -- or at least Yuki. Kyou's injury wouldn't get the better of him if he didn't overexert himself, but it was better not to encourage the Cat to run all over the city and exacerbate his condition.

"But what if he comes home? Someone needs to be there in case Shigure tries to call!"

"I agree." He thought for a moment. "I would go myself; however, Akito... is not well." Yuki and Kyou would most likely kill him for this, but considering the circumstances, it was necessary. "I need you to go to Shigure's house and stay there while the children are at school -- in case he calls or in case he returns. Can you do that?"

"'Tori-san, how could you suspect that I would leave my beloved younger brother alone in such a time of need?" Ayame's voice took on a shade of its usual bombastic confidence, but to Hatori's ear, sounded somewhat hollow. "Besides... 'Gure-san would never forgive me if I allowed his little flower to be left unprotected in such a delicate time. Despite my undying trust for my little brother--"

Again, Hatori found it necessary to interrupt. "--Ayame. Yuki and Kyou both are under a great deal of stress. They will likely be... less than receptive -- or patient -- right now. Please tread carefully."

"I would never think to add to my beloved brother's trials and difficulties. I wish only to rise to the challenge as any older brother is expected to do and assist in relieving as much of his stress and someone of my considerable skill and perfection is able to do!"

Hatori closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against them. _That's exactly what I'm afraid of,_ he thought tiredly. Of course, he had to give Ayame credit -- he was doing an admirable job of maintaining his composure, such as it was. "Just mind the house until I can get there."

"I'll go immediately! Miine can watch the store without my presence; finding 'Gure-san safe and in one piece is far more important that giving in to my creative soul."

The words brought a tiny smile to Hatori's lips. "Good. As soon as I can get away, I'll be there." The Dragon fell silent for a moment or two, and when Ayame didn't fill that silence, he blew out a tiny sigh. "I'm certain we'll find him, Ayame." _And if this turns out to be an elaborate prank, that damned Dog is in for a great deal of discomfort._

Ayame laughed then, but under its brightness the laughter sounded brittle and forced, the edge of desperation clear to Hatori's ears. "Oh, don't say such silly things, 'Tori-san! I am certain 'Gure-san is merely visiting a friend or out on a date, or he has simply forgotten to tell us of a vacation! Ah! My heart is breaking to know I am not a special enough person to have known he had an important matter to address!"

Hatori bowed his head slightly as he leaned over the desk, shoulders hunched. "I'll see you later, then."

Once again, the Snake's voice rang through the line, still heavy with the strain of false cheerfulness. "I'll be waiting at 'Gure-san's house for you, 'Tori-san. I'm certain Tohru-kun will be delighted if you and Mayu-kun join us for dinner!"

Hatori did not comment. At the moment, it seemed a better idea to cancel his lunch plans with Mayuko than it did to invite her to Shigure's house for dinner. "Good bye, Ayame." As he was lowering the phone back into the cradle, Ayame's voice caught his ear, and he lifted the receiver again.

"'Tori-san..." There was a long pause, and Hatori could hear the strain, the serious edge, and the hope all mingled in his friend's voice. "Please... call if you have any news."

"I will, Ayame. I promise."

It was several hours before Shigure roused again, and when he did, he felt the familiar fuzziness that came with a long nap and painkillers. Lifting his head, he blinked slowly, and once again had to remind himself where he was. He shifted on the bed, nosing a pillow out of the way until he could see the clock on her nightstand. It was just a little after eleven, which gave Shigure plenty of time to become familiar with the house while looking for a telephone.

He shifted a little on the bed, and the world swayed slightly.

_Good thing I have plenty of time. I'm going to need it._

It took the better part of twenty minutes for Shigure to wake up enough to coordinate his limbs in such a way that would aid him in getting off the bed. Before too much longer, he was standing nearly solid on three feet, favoring his sprained paw, and tottering his way through the small house. The layout was simple: the front door opened to a sitting room with a couch and small television. The kitchen was adjacent to the living room, and there was a short hallway that led to a small study, a washroom, and two bedrooms, one of which seemed to be used for storage.

Unfortunately, there didn't appear to be a phone in sight, which was undoubtedly strange. Panting slightly, Shigure lowered himself down on his haunches and sat in the hallway, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes. He was exhausted, and only growing more so by the moment. The painkillers were starting to wear off, made evident by the insistent throbbing inside his skull, and that told Shigure it was past time to reclaim his spot on the bed.

He'd find a phone later.

At the moment, it was far more important to find hime-chan's bed again. He settled against the bedding with a low groan, trying not to move more than was necessary. The Dog wouldn't have thought he'd be able to fall asleep in the midst of such discomfort, but exhaustion soon overpowered him, and before long Shigure was sound asleep once more.

XxXxX

Tohru was finding it hard to concentrate.

She was _trying,_ of course -- she always tried, but sometimes it was more difficult than others. Sometimes, like if she worked late on a school night, or if Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun were fighting more than usual (though that didn't happen as often now as it used to), she had a remarkably difficult time paying attention to her lessons. And that was no way to repay Yuki-kun for spending so much time tutoring her through some of her hardest classes, and she was so glad when her grades started to reflect all of that extra help...

But right now, her difficulty had nothing to do with work, or Kyou-kun, or Yuki-kun. Right now, Tohru was thinking a great deal about Shigure-san. Both Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun didn't want her to worry -- Kyou especially didn't want her to get sick, and Tohru didn't want to come down with a fever either (she didn't want to be a burden to anyone, especially at a time like this), but as hard as she tried not to worry about Shigure-san, her mind seemed incapable of thinking about anything else.

He had to be all right. He just _had_ to be.

Nodding once, Tohru took a deep breath and refocused her attention on her history lesson. _Shigure-san will be all right. He's too clever to be missing for long!_ And this mollified Tohru's errant thoughts for a few moments, but then, out of nowhere, a memory surfaced in her mind. She could almost see Hatori-san as he stood in his office, warning her away from Shigure-san's house, only because he was concerned for her well-being.

He'd warned her about the curse. That it hung over the Sohma family, affecting everyone in it and associated with it.

What if Shigure _was_ seriously hurt? What if this was the sort of thing Hatori-san had warned her about?

And there, in the middle of history class, Tohru held her breath and closed her eyes, sending up a fervent wish for Shigure-san's safety.


	7. Ch 6: Where Has My Little Dog Gone?

Bump in the Road: Chapter Six

A/N: First of all, great thanks to Aoi for all her help beta'ing. This was a rough chapter to write, and turned out to be a little longer than the rest. We want everyone to know that we have absolutely no intention of leaving this fic to fizzle and die out. It's all outlined out, and we're NOT going to desert it. There may be a gap between chapters when RL hits us both hard, but a gap is just a gap. We're glad everyone seems to be enjoying the story, and we hope you continue enjoying it! (There's an extra A/N at the end, by the way.)

Chapter Six: Where, Oh, Where Has My Little Dog Gone?

_Be not too tame neither, but let your own discretion  
be your tutor: suit the action to the word, the  
word to the action, with this special observance  
that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature: for any  
thing so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose  
end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as  
'twere, the mirror up to nature..._

Hamlet, III ii

Hatori let himself into Shigure's house, kicking off his shoes. The house felt strangely lifeless, but he suspected that had less to do with the children being at school and more to do with the absence of its master.

Hatori rubbed his brow wearily and padded into the spotless kitchen to make himself some tea. He knew that Shigure was, technically, a responsible adult, capable of taking care of himself. But there was something wrong with his absence this time.

_He's probably laughing at how upset we all are._

The sentiment rang hollow, no matter how many times Hatori repeated it to himself as he watched the tea steep. Not even Shigure would leave, not under these conditions, not when...

_I think you envy him a little bit._

Hatori winced as Mayuko's voice echoed in his head. _God knows why, but I think you envy him. It's silly, Hatori-kun. You're not him._

"I know," he said softly. "That's the problem." He couldn't agree with Shigure's tactics in breaking the curse, but at least Shigure _had_ tactics. He was doing something, not simply keeping faithful watch over a time forever frozen in memory. And if Shigure were gone...

_We'll all still be trapped in the banquet. We might never get another chance._

Hatori was still standing in the kitchen when Ayame's footsteps came down the stairwell. The Dragon took a deep breath and turned, steeling himself to prepare for the onslaught of, well, _Ayame_. But when he turned, he was surprised at the sight of his dramatic friend. For once, Ayame looked as worn as Hatori felt. His silver hair was tied back and braided, and he looked uncharacteristically rumpled. The Snake sent Hatori a tremulous smile as he hovered on the threshold to the kitchen.

"'Tori-san," he said, elegant fingers toying with the end of his braid, "you're here. I didn't hear you come in." And then, in a flash, the hesitancy was gone. The wattage of Ayame's smile increased as he crossed the kitchen, enfolding Hatori in a crushing hug. "The children haven't returned yet, but I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see you when they do!" Grasping Hatori's shoulders, Ayame leaned back, beaming.

From that distance, the Dragon could see just how red Ayame's eyes were. His delicate skin offered no concealment; Ayame was never very good at hiding his emotions, any of them.

"How long have you been back, 'Tori-san?" Before Hatori could answer, Ayame's attention snapped to the countertop. "Is that tea?" He clucked his tongue. "Shame on you, 'Tori-san -- I will make you some of _my_ tea!" With that, he dumped the now-cold, too-bitter tea into the sink. Glad to have a task on which to focus his considerable energy, Ayame moved around the kitchen, setting water on to boil and warming the tetsubin.

The Dragon felt nausea settle in his gut, black, tickling tendrils creeping upward to his throat. There was something inherently wrong with the situation; things were not as they should have been, and the world Hatori had always worked so hard to construct and maintain around the limitations of the Curse was now tilting out of control. Inside him was the ingrained compulsion to fix whatever wasn't right, but this was beyond his reach. This was not within his control.

Swallowing against the rising bile, he took a few deep breaths in an effort to control the anxiety, affecting the calm demeanor everyone would expect from him.

"Has he called?" Hatori asked evenly, knowing the answer. If Shigure had called, if he were home, Ayame would have been delirious with joy; he would have rung Hatori's cell phone every ten minutes with reports on Shigure's well-being. There would be crepe paper and paper lanterns festooned all around the house, inside and out. He probably would have even hired an orchestra for the occasion.

The Snake hesitated briefly as he measured out the tea, shaking his head. But when he looked up, that same bright smile was firmly in place; to Hatori's eye, it looked brittle. "However, I have taken it upon myself to prepare our beloved 'Gure-san's room for his imminent return!"

Again, crepe paper and lanterns flickered through Hatori's thoughts; he nearly smiled, but couldn't. "Oh?"

As it turned out, Ayame had been in the midst of preparing Shigure's room. He'd aired it out, changed the linens--

_'...I don't want to sleep on that laundry pile you call a bed.'_

_'It's not that bad. Tohru-kun cleaned it off two weeks ago.'_

--and included everything from a collection of Shigure's favorite novels on the nightstand to a vase of fresh flowers to greet him. The implication was clear: Ayame fully expected Shigure to return before the flowers wilted. The Dragon had a sneaking suspicion that Ayame would replace the flowers before they began to droop.

When the tea finished steeping, Ayame poured some into a small cup and presented it to Hatori with a characteristic flourish. On one hand, Hatori half-wished the Snake would stop trying so very hard to pretend that nothing was amiss; on the other, he was thankful for the effort. He accepted the cup, murmuring a soft word of thanks, and took a sip. "Delicious," he murmured.

Ayame beamed. "You're very lucky I came down when I did, 'Tori-san; I wanted to see whether Tohru-kun had any cucumber." With gentle fingertips, he patted the reddened patches of skin under his eyes. "It will not do for 'Gure-san to see any sign of distress!"

_On the contrary_, Hatori thought darkly, _I think that may be exactly what he needs to see._

The Snake was cutting cucumber rounds for his eyes (four of them, offering two to Hatori, despite the fact that the latter didn't want or need them) when a familiar female voice called out, "Taidaima!"

"Tohru-kun!" Ayame sang, cutting two more cucumber rounds. "We're in the kitchen!"

When Tohru walked in, she was followed not only by Yuki and Kyou, but Momiji and Hatsuharu as well. Hatori frowned internally; he hadn't wanted news of Shigure's disappearance to spread so far that Akito heard about it. But then, it was unlikely the Dragon would have been able to keep the news from Momiji for very long, and both the Ox and Rabbit were certainly trustworthy. As long as they were the only Juunishi who knew the circumstances, the situation should be containable.

_Containable_, he sighed inwardly. He was used to hiding the truth from outsiders, but this -- _this _was completely different. They were defying Akito. The first thing they _should_ have done upon realizing that Shigure was missing was notify Akito. But that option was not a viable one. He felt the Dragon's spirit struggle within him, but Hatori held firm -- he had to. It was for the best. And if Akito found out... well, Akito just wouldn't find out.

Ironically, this was a situation he would have much preferred seeing Shigure take by the horns. It was one thing to treat Akito in a general capacity, but quite another to hide the truth regarding Shigure's disappearance. In this unpleasantly unique arena, Hatori felt inexperienced and unqualified, and he hated it.

When Yuki and Kyou came into the kitchen, Hatori saw identical expressions of dismay cross their faces when they saw the Snake. He'd expected as much; dealing with Ayame took a great deal of energy, and at that moment he sorely doubted that either Kyou or Yuki had enough energy to do anything of the sort.

Perhaps predictably, the Snake turned to face his brother, a torrent of words tumbling from his lips. "Yuki! Allow me to comfort you in this moment of--"

"Not now, Ayame," Hatori said, quietly. Ayame glanced at him before falling silent -- something the doctor hadn't been sure his friend was capable of doing on his best days. Nodding a little, he sent Ayame a small, fleeting smile before taking another sip of his tea.

"H-Hatori-san," Tohru began hesitantly. She looked around the kitchen with wide, hopeful eyes. "Have you and Ayame-san..." She paused, gnawing lightly on her bottom lip. "Have you found Shigure-san?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Honda-kun. Neither of us has heard from him."

"...Oh," she replied, her shoulders drooping as she looked down at her hands.

"Damn it," Kyou muttered. Frowning, he sent a sidelong glance Tohru's way. For a long moment, it looked as if he might reach out and reassure her, but then Ayame spoke, shattering the silence and sending Kyou's hand falling limply by his side.

"I'm certain he'll be _fine_, Tohru-kun!" the Snake chirped. "'Gure-san is not one to simply vanish into the background!" Ayame's arm swooped in a wide arc as he turned gracefully, sending his braid swinging with the quasi-pirouette.

Yuki crossed his arms, pressing his lips into a thin line as he looked between Hatori and Tohru, effectively ignoring his brother, who had by that point turned back to the sliced cucumber rounds, picking them up and leaving the room quickly. The Dragon watched him go, his brows knitting into a frown. He'd made an effort to reassure the youngsters, but between Shigure's disappearance and the unseasonably cold weather, Hatori didn't blame him for slipping out. He was probably going up to Shigure's room for a bit of rest .

Yuki's voice pulled his attention back to the fore. "What do we do now?"

"I think we should sit down." And, without waiting for the rest of them, Hatori walked into the living room and took a seat at the kotatsu. As the younger Juunishi filed in, he fixed his gaze on the Cat, who took a seat on the floor, leaning against one wall. He was frowning, but it was difficult to tell if that was because he was in pain, or simply because he was Kyou. "How are you feeling, Kyou?"

Kyou hesitated sheepishly, glancing at Tohru before muttering a curt, "Fine."

But Tohru had already heard the exchange and was smiling broadly at Hatori, despite her obvious worry. "Kyou-kun has been very good about taking his medication!" she said brightly, which made the Cat blush deeply.

"Medication for what?" Yuki asked quietly, his tone carefully neutral.

"I said I'm fine." There was a growling edge to the Cat's words.

Hatori turned to Yuki, gauging him; if the Rat didn't know what damage he'd inflicted, he was about to find out. "Kyou somehow managed to crack a rib," he said evenly.

A beat of silence passed. Yuki's eyes widened as he looked at Hatori and back to Kyou. He opened his mouth to say something when Kyou's voice, sharp with pain and fatigue, cut him off. "I fell off the roof."

Garnet eyes met lavender, and the Dragon saw an entire conversation telegraphed across the kotatsu in seconds:

_You didn't fall off the roof._

_Shut up._

_You _know_ you didn't fall off the roof. Why are you lying about it?_

_SHUT UP._

Yuki shot him an accusatory glare, which Kyou met with characteristic defiance, and the tension in the room grew until Hatsuharu's mild voice shattered it.

"I've never known you to fall off the roof, Kyou," he said quietly.

"Well, I have," he retorted hotly. "Twice."

Hatori's eyes stayed on Yuki. The Rat pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, never looking away from the Cat. It was clear he made a conscious decision not to say anymore -- as long as they had an audience.

_Interesting_.

The Dragon cleared his throat pointedly and watched as the younger Juunishi settled down. "As you all know, we still haven't heard anything from Shigure. No one's seen him." He cast a look around the table. "I assume nothing's changed."

A soft murmur went around the table before Yuki cleared his throat to speak. "We've searched the roads around the house. He's nowhere around here."

Hatori nodded. "I've checked the hospitals and the..." He paused, coughing softly. "...And the morgues. The good news is nothing's checked out." Off to his side, he saw that Tohru had paled slightly and was looking down at her hands, her fingers picking at each other. Hatori swallowed. "He's not there, Honda-kun," he said again.

Tohru only nodded. Momiji reached out, placed one hand over hers and gave her a comforting pat, sending her a warm, reassuring smile. Hatori cleared his throat, recapturing their attention.

"As good as this news is, it leads us to... the less desirable conclusion. If he's not injured as a human -- "

"He's a dog. Still," Yuki interjected, his tone flat.

Pursing his lips, Hatori nodded. "Precisely."

"They could have just not found him yet," Hatsuharu ventured.

The Dragon gave a stern shake of his head. "We're not thinking like that, Hatsuharu."

"Besides," Yuki said, looking at the Ox, "he was on his way home from the grocery store. It's a straight trip from here to the market. He's ... he's nowhere around. No matter _what_ form he's in, there's no trace of him."

"Exactly," Hatori replied. "So, what we need to do next is--" A firm knock at the front door cut off his words and every head turned in the direction of the noise. In a moment Tohru was on her feet, hurrying towards the door. Hatori didn't have the heart to point out to her that if it were Shigure, he wouldn't be knocking at his own front door.

On some level, even Tohru realized that Shigure wouldn't have bothered knocking, but the sound had sent her hope soaring. Her steps were quick and light as she approached the door, pulling it open with a sharp jerk, sure, _absolutely certain_ that Shigure-san would be on the other side of the door.

But when Tohru opened the front door, it wasn't Shigure-san standing before her. Instead, Tohru found Shiraki-sensei on the stoop, fidgeting awkwardly.

She blinked once, then twice, her mouth working silently. "Shiraki-sensei?"

"Honda," her teacher replied with a nod, still looking uncomfortable.

"Ah... Sh-Shiraki-sensei, it's..." Tohru paused, letting out a short, nervous laugh. "It's such a... surprise to see you!" _What on earth could she be doing here? Oh, no! Does she want to speak with Shigure-san? Is it because Kyou-kun and Yuki-kun have been fighting? No, it can't be -- they don't fight at school very much anymore. Maybe something's wrong with our grades and she needs to speak with him? What if she finds out Shigure-san isn't HERE!_ "I-is something wrong, Shiraki-sensei?" _Oh, no! Maybe she noticed I wasn't paying attention in class today! _

Shiraki-sensei didn't reply right away, and when she spoke, her words came slowly, carefully. "I, ah, I'm here because your--"

A deep voice from somewhere over Tohru's left shoulder interrupted her and made Tohru's attention swerve. "Mayuko. You made it."

Tohru jumped, moving aside, her eyes widening. "Hatori-san!" She looked back and forth between her teacher and the tall, quiet doctor, and after a moment she realized that Shiraki-sensei was... _blushing_?

"Ah...Hatori-kun," she said, sending the Dragon a warm, shy smile that transformed her features completely. After a moment she looked around, asking, "Is he back?"

"No, not yet."

The smile faded, and she sighed. "How're you holding up?"

"I'm managing," he replied, ushering her in. "Thank you for coming." Hatori closed the door and finally saw Tohru looking between the two of them. "I'm sorry, Honda-kun, I should have warned you."

Tohru blinked once, twice. "...Warned me?"

"That I asked Mayuko to help. She... knows Shigure."

Several seconds passed before Tohru spoke -- her thoughts were streaming out in every possible direction. "...Oh," she said, finally. She watched in silence as Shiraki-sensei slipped out of her shoes and set down her bag, still heavy with school books and student papers.

And then something _strange_ happened.

As Shiraki-sensei straightened, Hatori reached out, touching her arm lightly. "I do appreciate this," he said quietly, his eyes warming slightly as he regarded her.

"I'm glad to help." She smiled for a moment before her lips twisted wryly. "Besides, if he was hiding anywhere around here, he would've popped out by now just to annoy me."

"That did occur to me," he deadpanned.

Tohru took a small step back, unable to shake the feeling that she was intruding. When Hatori-san's fingers lingered just a moment too long against Shiraki-sensei's wrist, Tohru was _sure_ she was intruding. And yet, the smile that passed between them was one that Tohru had never seen on the Doctor before, and another flutter of hope, a tiny one, rose in her chest.

"So," Shiraki-sensei was saying, "have I missed much?"

"We were just deciding what to do next," he replied, hesitating a bare moment before sliding his hand into hers.

It was at that moment that Tohru decided it would be an excellent idea to make some tea and hurried to the kitchen.

Hatori was hyper-aware of Mayuko's hand in his as he led her back to the living room. Her skin was warm against his, and despite the comfort her presence brought him, they'd been keeping their slowly-developing relationship a secret for so long, the idea of anyone in the family seeing them made the Dragon's stomach twist anxiously. When they walked into the living room, the reactions were varied, if nothing else. Hatsuharu appeared only mildly surprise, while Yuki's face reflected quiet shock and Kyou's eyes bugged. Momiji, who had been privy to the secret, merely smiled and waved.

_I appear to be making a habit of defying Kami-sama,_ he thought wryly.

Hatori cleared his throat and glanced around the room. "I assume all of you know Shiraki Mayuko." Greetings of varying volumes came from around the table and Hatori coughed softly. "And you, in turn, have been unfortunate to meet all of them."

"What the HELL?" Kyou burst out, sputtering.

"Mayuko is an old friend of mine and Ayame's. And Shigure's." He paused. "Somewhat."

Haru leaned over to Momiji. "You didn't say," he murmured.

Momiji held a finger to his lips, whispering, "It's a secret."

Haru nodded solemnly, looking again at the teacher and the Dragon. "I understand."

"So... What, she knows?" Kyou said, eyes narrowed and arms folded.

"She knows that Shigure is missing," Hatori replied evenly.

"Is that all?" Yuki asked.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence that seemed to stretch out for days as Mayuko and Hatori exchanged a meaningful glance. "...And the rest of it."

After an embarrassing encounter in his car after a date, Hatori had found himself tossed into yet another bathtub. The experience with Mayuko had been different, of course, because _she_ was different, but it had served to strengthen the bond between them, making the shift from friendship to something more a bit smoother. And once Shigure and Ayame learned that she knew, well, it was downhill from there. He'd been more concerned about Shigure learning the truth, but so far the Dog had kept quiet about the truth of the situation.

Another awkward silence followed. Mayuko coughed delicately. "Anyway, how's the hunt going?"

At this point, Tohru came back into the room, carrying a tray laden with a teapot and cups. Busily, she poured and served the ginseng blend before sitting down again, taking a spot near Kyou.

"We were just discussing where to widen the search," Hatori answered, sipping at his tea. "While I've got it on my list to call Animal Control and check with them, there are still hundreds of pet stores and veterinarian's clinics in Tokyo."

Yuki nodded. "Do you think if we split up and looked...?"

"That's the best thing I can think of to do," Hatori replied, ignoring Kyou's groan. "We can call some of them, but even if we eliminate those which don't have a large black dog in their records..."

Mayuko tilted her head, a thoughtful frown at her lips as she toyed with the teacup. "...What if someone found him?"

"That'd be interesting," Haru murmured.

But Kyou shook his head. "They'd probably just turn him over to a shelter."

Yuki nodded, resting his elbow against the table and propping his chin in his palm. "Not many people have room for a dog that size."

"Especially in Tokyo. Now, we can still hope that he's in an environment where he can transform back safely and call us, but if he is in one of those places, that's not likely." Hatori got to his feet and walked to the kitchen, coming back a short while later with a thick sheaf of paper. He knelt again. "This is a listing of all of the pet stores and veterinary clinics within a ten mile radius of the house. There's no point in looking outside this ring until... well, it becomes necessary."

Mayuko tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Do you think it's possible to let those places know we're looking for a big black dog? That way, if one comes in, someone could be notified?"

"Don't people usually put up signs and things?" Haru asked, drinking from his cup. "Lost, family pet? Maybe we should do that."

"Yes, Hatsuharu. That's how people normally go about it."

"We could do both," Momiji chimed in. "We could put up posters AND ask someone to call us if someone turns in Shii-chan."

The Ox nodded. "We could give them a copy." He frowned thoughtfully. "Do we have a picture of him like that?"

Hatori said nothing for a moment. "...I might. I'm sure Ayame does." Then the Dragon took a deep breath and expelled it, turning his teacup around in a slow circle on the table. "That takes care of the searching. Unfortunately... we need to keep Akito from noticing anything unusual. It helps that Shigure has already separated himself so much from the main house, but Akito still wants to see him a great deal and, as you all know, is prone to demanding Shigure's attention randomly."

With the mention of the god, a somber cloud settled over the collected Juunishi. Without a word, Mayuko took the sheaf of paper out of Hatori's hand and left the living room, ostensibly in search of a phone.

Withdrawing a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, he pulled one out and lit it, inhaling deeply before blowing out a cloud of smoke. "I've arranged with Mit-chan for a... cover story of sorts, that she's sent Shigure out of town for a bit of research for a week or so. However, I'd like to avoid using that until it's absolutely necessary." He looked around the kotatsu; all of the younger Juunishi were avoiding his gaze. He knew what he was asking -- what they were doing. Defying the god -- hiding the truth behind the whereabouts of one of her favorite Juunishi -- was a dangerous game.

"She... agreed?" Yuki said slowly.

Hatori nodded before adding, wryly, "I promised her I would help the next few times she needed to get a manuscript from Shigure. I also recommended a good doctor who can help her with her chronic ulcer."

Frowning faintly, the Rat spoke again. "How much does she know about the situation?"

Hatori lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Only that he's missing without any explanation. Luckily, Shigure doing such a thing is not implausible." He took another drag on the cigarette and blew out the smoke. "I also told her that he hadn't told us when he'd be back. She found that slightly less believable, but... we need to keep Akito distracted until..." He gestured with the lit cigarette. "Until we can't anymore."

"Does Kureno know anything yet?" Kyou asked.

Hatori shook his head. "I told him that Shigure was... unavailable. And that Akito needed to be kept from asking questions." He grimaced. "He said he'd try, but he's not... good at resisting Akito's demands. Of course, none of us are, really." No one said a word, and even Hatori's eyes were trained on the ribboning stream of smoke twining upwards from his burning cigarette. "So," he said finally, "we can count on Kureno's help, for what that's worth. And I've already taken steps to secure the next few days. He's been complaining of feeling poorly due to the weather." The doctor shifted uncomfortably and looked away, faintly embarrassed. "I... gave him some sedatives and suggested he get a lot of rest."

"I'm sure we'll find him, Hatori-san," Tohru said firmly. "With all of us looking, we'll definitely find Shigure-san." She punctuated her words with an authoritative nod and, for a moment, it was impossible _not_ to believe her.

Hatori couldn't help the small smile. "I know we will, Honda-kun."

After a moment, the Ox cleared his throat. "When he's feeling better..." he trailed off, twisting a silver ring around one of his fingers. "I'll spend time with him. He always likes that."

The "he" to whom Haru was referring needed no specification. Hatori regarded his younger cousin gravely, but said nothing.

A fleeting half-smile passed the Haru's lips. "It's a good thing you drugged him, Hatori-nii. It'll take me that long to talk Rin into it." He glanced at Yuki, who was staring at his hands. "That way you can go out and look, Yuki."

"You don't have to, Hatsuharu," Hatori said quietly.

But Haru would not be deterred. "If we're trying to delay him... if I skip scho--" And then, remembering that a teacher was nearby, he stopped suddenly and looked around. He cleared his throat and went on. "If I skip school for a few days to stay with Akito..." he shrugged. "Hopefully that'll make him happy enough that he won't want to see Sensei." He frowned thoughtfully. "Rin's going to be pretty mad at me, though."

Kyou snorted. "Oh, like that'll be a change."

"She's been pretty good lately," Haru replied solemnly. After a moment, he tilted his head. "What about Kagura-nee? And Kisa and Hiro?"

Yuki was already shaking his head. "It might be better if ... they didn't know?" He glanced at Hatori for confirmation.

The Dragon took a final pull on the cigarette before stubbing it out in an ashtray. "We can't all go haring off to look for Shigure."

"It would only raise Akito's suspicions," Yuki said, nodding slowly. "And if Ritsu knew..." He trailed off, shuddering. Kyou and Hatori both grimaced at the thought of the Monkey's reaction -- overreaction -- to the situation.

"...I might be able to get some kids from Shishou's dojo to help," Kyou volunteered.

Haru tilted his head, eyeing Kyou for a long moment. "Is that a good idea?"

The Cat shrugged, and then winced at the movement. "I'm just gonna say it's a family pet."

"And I'm sure Uo-chan and Hana-chan would be more than happy to help!" Tohru chirped.

Yuki rested his elbows on the table, sighing thoughtfully. "We lose so much of the day being in school. Hopefully we'll find him before the weekend is out."

Nodding, Hatori looked askance at the Rabbit. "We can take turns making phone calls during clinic hours, and forestalling Akito."

Momiji nodded authoritatively. "You can count on me!"

Hatori pulled another cigarette from the pack and lit it. "I think that covers our greatest concern."

Yuki nodded at the open doorway. "The list you gave Shiraki-sensei -- is that the only copy?"

"For now," Hatori replied. "I thought it would be easiest to divide one list up amongst us." As he said this, he pushed himself to his feet and headed for the doorway, where he paused. "Momiji, you and Hatsuharu should return to the main house before it gets too late. I'll bring your portions of the list when I return tonight." After a moment's hesitation, Hatori disappeared into the hall, where he found Mayuko sitting on the floor, the telephone wedged against her shoulder. She had the sheaf in her lap and held a pencil in her hand. As he got closer, she looked up and smiled.

"I think we're done with the family business," he said quietly.

"Excellent, I--" In a fraction of a second, her attention went back to the voice on the telephone. "Yes, I was holding." There was a pause, and she nodded. "That's right. A large, black dog." There was another, longer pause and her eyebrow arched. "How old? I... don't know -- full grown, I guess." She was quiet again and looked suddenly crestfallen. "Thanks anyway," she said, hanging up with a sigh.

"It's so hard to estimate our ages in our other forms," he said quietly.

She rubbed her hands over her face. "I'm pretty sure dogs don't live till thirty, either."

"Not normally."

She handed him the list and got to her feet. "Got through about the first fifteen places. It's not much, but..."

"Every bit helps, Mayuko," he replied, looking over the list. Most of the entries were marked with X's, one or two with stars, and some with question marks.

She saw the puzzlement on his face and laughed. "The X's are for places that don't have any large black dogs, the stars are for places that _do,_ and the question marks are for the places I have to call back."

Hatori nodded, glancing through the list. "I'll divide the rest up amongst us."

Mayu sighed a little, scowling and crossing her arms over her chest. "You'd better kick his ass when he _does_ come back. I might just do it for you."

"I believe Kyou has claimed first right," he replied gravely.

Folding her arms, she tossed her ponytail over her shoulder. "Hmph. I've been wanting to do it a _lot _longer."

"Perhaps the two of you could take turns," he said with a small smile.

Her gaze softened as she reached up, brushing his bangs back with her fingertips. "I just see how worried this has you, and I hate it."

Hatori closed his eyes against the feather-light caress. The tips of her fingers brushed the bridge of his nose, then his cheek. "He's so..." He trailed off, blowing out a breath. "He balances us, in a strange way."

"In a very strange way," she muttered.

Hatsuharu and Momiji chose that precise moment to come out into the front hall. Neither boy paid particular attention to the couple standing in the corridor. Hatsuharu looked particularly placid. "Momiji and I are heading home now, Hatori-nii."

The Dragon nodded. "Thank you for your help, Hatsuharu. Momiji, I'll see you later tonight."

The Rabbit beamed and nodded, waving before he trotted out the door with a, "Ja ne!" Haru, however, remained, looking back and forth between Mayuko and Hatori for several seconds before his face lit into a startlingly sweet smile.

"I'm glad you're happy again, Hatori-nii." And then he was gone.

Blinking suddenly, Hatori started, a slight blush warming his cheeks. Mayu stood beside him, looking away, her cheeks growing uncomfortably hot as she pushed imaginary strands of hair behind her ear.

When both boys were gone, he looked at her and sighed a little. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay." She sent him a rueful smile. "We've been keeping it so... secret, I'm not used to anyone noticing."

"Hatsuharu is alarmingly perceptive about certain things." There was an awkward pause before Hatori coughed softly. "We should get back in there." He took her hand again, this time with more confidence, and led her back into the living room where Yuki, Kyou and Tohru all sat around the kotatsu. The Dragon's keen eyes also caught Kyou keeping a close watch on Tohru as she cleared away the extra teacups and carried them into the kitchen. Tohru, of course, was largely oblivious to the keen garnet gaze that followed her movements.

For her part, Tohru was glad -- relieved, really -- that everyone was willing to come together like this and search for Shigure-san. As worried as Tohru was about her ersatz guardian, she'd been able to find comfort in everyone's willingness to work together.

Their collective optimism gave her hope.

After refreshing the tea, she sat down again, sighing a little at the kotatsu's warmth. She glanced at Kyou, frowning a little at the way he seemed to be sitting so still. His movements were stilted and cautious, and she could only imagine how much pain he must be in. For Kyou to _admit_ weakness was one thing, but now he didn't seem able to hide it, and that only worried her more.

"...Hey." His quiet, husky voice cut through her thoughts, and she gave him a warm smile.

"How are you feeling?"

He started to shrug but stopped. "Hurts a little."

Tohru frowned, looking down at her hands. When she looked up again, her eye caught the digital numbers on the VCR across the room. Upon realizing what time it was, she gasped. "Kyou-kun! I haven't given you your medicine yet tonight!"

Kyou looked at her, and for a moment it almost looked as if he was going to laugh. "It's okay," he said, controlling the smile that wanted to twitch across his mouth. Tohru, however, wasn't listening; she was digging into the pocket of her skirt, withdrawing a small brown bottle and presenting it to him.

"You carry those around with you everywhere?" he asked, taking the bottle from her hands. When she nodded, he only rolled his eyes, tapping two tablets out into his hand and dry-swallowing them before handing the bottle back to her.

"All right," Hatori said, taking several sheets of paper out of the sheaf and handing it to Mayuko, who did the same. "Divide these numbers up among you. I'll make sure that Momiji and Hatsuharu get theirs."

The sheets made the rounds, going from Mayuko to Yuki, who looked through the sheets with a thoughtful frown before saying, "We'll all work on these."

Hatori nodded, then shot a look at Kyou. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Feels like it's gonna rain," he grunted. A beat of silence passed, and he blew out an exhausted breath. "I think I'm gonna go lie down." He got up, stiffly, and winced.

Tohru worried her bottom lip with her teeth. "Do you need anything, Kyou-kun?"

He looked down at her with a half-smile. "Nah. Just waiting for the stuff to kick in."

Tohru smiled back, but it was a worried smile. He nodded a little before leaving the room. Moments later, they all heard his slow footfalls as he climbed the stairs. Soon all was silent. Hatori blew out a deep breath and rubbed his hand across his forehead.

"You okay?" Mayuko asked softly, placing a hesitant hand against his arm. He nodded, but only after pulling yet another cigarette out from the battered, nearly-depleted pack.

He lit it, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "...How are you, Yuki?"

The Rat didn't answer right away. "I really thought he would have come back by now."

Hatori nodded. "Despite Shigure's behavior in the past, this isn't like him -- we should have heard from him by now. I can only assume that something is _actually_ wrong."

Yuki drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "I want to start looking as soon as we can. The sooner we start, the sooner we find him and put an end to this."

"I agree." The Dragon took another deep drag on the cigarette. "...Yuki," he said on the exhale.

"Yes?"

"I'd rather you looked for Shigure than... anything else."

"...I understand."

A few moments of thoughtful silence passed before Mayuko spoke up. "You know, while I don't condone missing class as a rule, given that this is a family emergency..." She let her words trail off temptingly.

Yuki gaped at his teacher, blinking in shock, while Hatori schooled his chuckle into a cough.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "As long as Honda-kun collects your work and Kyou's," she said, gesturing vaguely at the ceiling. "But so help me, if there's nothing wrong with Shigure and this is one big joke..."

"I think it's safe to say there will be a line for that," Hatori said darkly.

"A long line," Yuki muttered.

* * *

The hazy warmth that had settled on the canine Sohma dissipated slightly with the faraway sound of a door opening and closing. Shigure blinked awake, his disorientation compounded by the long shadows in the room. It took a second or two, and when he _did_ remember, his head collapsed back against the pillow with a soft groan. He hadn't planned on falling asleep quite _that_ soundly. He lay there for a moment, one ear flicking as he listened; someone was moving around in one of the other rooms. The refrigerator door opened and closed, and the sound of muted footsteps met his ears. 

Hime-chan was home from work. _Damn it._

He yawned widely and lifted his head from the pillow, giving it a slight shake to clear it. The ache in his ribs had abated somewhat, and Shigure knew better than to think that the fuzziness in his head and his markedly decreased discomfort were a happy coincidence. Indignation warred with relief for a short moment -- if he wasn't in pain, then the situation was already improved.

Moving slowly from the bed, Shigure settled himself on all four legs, making sure he was stable on at least three of those legs before limping out of the bedroom. He was halfway down the corridor that led to the living room when he heard a faint tapping nearby. Stopping, he tilted his head, listening. Poking his head into an adjacent room and nosing the door open, he found his benefactress in a home office, sitting at a low desk, working diligently on a computer. He walked into the room, joining her, and lowered himself down onto his haunches. A quick scan of her desk revealed no telephone, so he shifted his gaze and watched her instead.

Hime-chan wore an expression of deep concentration as she typed lightly at a computer, her fingers moving rapidly over the keys. Nearly a full minute passed before she felt the weight of his gaze and looked up with a start. "God, you're quiet when you want to be, aren't you?" She shook her head, chuckling ruefully before reaching down and giving his ears a rub. After a few seconds of this, she turned attention again to the computer screen.

This time Shigure followed her gaze and blinked. Lines upon lines of computer code graced the monitor. Several browser windows were open as well as two or three email windows. He glanced back at hime-chan in time to see her scowl at the screen and slouch forward, resting her elbows on the desk, blowing long dark bangs out of her eyes. She straightened, arching her back as she rubbed at her face.

"Looking at it all day didn't make a damned bit of difference. Tonight should be no exception." Her hand slid down to her neck, massaging it, before sliding down to her shoulder, where she rubbed, grimacing. "Ugh. I'm too young for arthritis," she muttered darkly.

This led Shigure to wonder how old his hostess was. He looked up at her, deciding that she probably wasn't quite thirty.

Hime-chan stood and twisted at the waist, cracking her back before looking down at Shigure. "Well, Sleeping Beauty, did you have a nice rest?" she asked, stretching again; numerous pops and cracks followed. She leaned down, running a hand over his head and down to his neck. "You still look a little dopey. Sorry about that. Feeling better?"

_As much as I hate to admit it, I am. _He sighed. The whole day, wasted. Physically he was feeling... well, he still felt like hell, but maybe one of the lesser levels now. But, still -- he wasn't anywhere closer to finding a telephone. He shot a hopeful glance at her computer; he could probably find an opportunity to send Hatori an email, but Shigure was technically challenged on his best days. Mit-chan had been after him for months to consider a website, but he had steadfastly declined.

"I don't know about you," his benefactress was saying as she walked slowly to the door, "but I could go for a long soak in a hot bath right about now." She reached behind her, rubbing at the small of her back and grimacing again. "Come on. You shouldn't be up anyway -- let's get you horizontal, Kuroi-chan."

The Dog's gaze snapped up at that, and he blinked once. _You really don't have any idea what you're implying, do you, hime-chan?_ Snorting a silent, mirthless laugh, Shigure walked slowly from the office, following her with slow, wincing steps. He was trying valiantly not to dwell on the fact that another day was gone, but his attempts were met with limited success.

_I have to get home. I have deadlines; I have responsibilities. I have to make sure Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun don't demolish the house!_

Two average teenage boys could do a fair bit of structural damage in a remarkably short period of time, but Yuki and Kyou were far above average when it came to their talent for destruction. _And if Ha-kun showed up in that time – and went black?_

Who was he kidding? His home had probably already been reduced to matchsticks and rubble by now.

The Sohma suddenly wanted -- no, _needed_ -- to lie down. Actually, what he wanted was a cigarette, but his nose told him hime-chan wasn't a smoker, so he was going to have to do without. He followed his hostess into the bedroom, and as she padded into the adjoining bathroom, he eased himself back onto her bed. Settling down with a sigh, he closed his eyes. He needed -- _needed_ to get in touch with Ha-san. He absolutely, positively _had_ to get home.

One eye went to the bathroom door; he could hear the sounds of running water and Chopin within. The temptation was there, certainly; he could easily say something to her. The shock would be astronomical, of course, but at least it was a way to get home – either by her own hand or by walking out in the middle of the hysterical fit that was bound to follow. Ha-san would then do what he did best, and bang, happy ending.

Exhaling softly, Shigure gritted his teeth against the twinge of discomfort that came as he eased off the bed. Perhaps resting was the wiser thing to do at the moment, but if getting home meant suffering pain, Sohma Shigure was willing to undergo such an inconvenience. Walking carefully, he crossed the room and pressed his nose against the bathroom door. It was open only a fraction of an inch, but it was just enough.

The door slid open silently; hime-chan hadn't heard it over the combination of running water and classical music. Shigure sat, watching her for a moment, gauging her. After a moment or two, the dark head jerked up suddenly, as if she'd seen something out of the corner of her eye. She started a bit at the sight of him sitting there and shook her head, letting out a sheepish chuckle.

"Lonely?" she asked, lowering one hand into the deep tub, testing the temperature of the water.

_You have no idea._ He lifted himself to his feet and went further in, his claws clicking on the tile floor. Sitting again, he peered up at her. _You're a reasonable woman. And I can tell you want to take me home. I don't _belong_ here. You don't even want a dog hanging around, do you? Of course not. You have your little house, your reckless, irresponsible boyfriend, and your job, which – from the look of things –takes up more time than you can possibly devote to the care and feeding of an animal. Particularly the care and feeding of an animal that REALLY ISN'T ONE. So, please –I'll lead you there, I'll wear a _leash_, whatever it takes – I don't care. So let's just discuss this like rational adults, okay?_

At this point, hime-chan blew out a silent sigh and reached over to turn off the water.

_That's it,_ he thought, steeling himself. _Here we go – the moment of truth._

But any words he might have spoken were cut short by a warm hand against his head, gentle, searching fingers wandering behind his ears to scratch gently.

"You miss your family, don't you?" Her thumb rubbed slowly at a smooth spot between his eyes. "I can only imagine. Children to play with—"

--_They might actually say I'm the child..._

"—balls to fetch... I bet they miss you." She gave him a small, sad smile. "They're looking for you – I'm sure of it. They're scouring the streets for you, Kuroi-chan. I know I'd be worried sick if you were my dog."

Her words came as something of a surprise to the dog. His eyes closed reflexively against the soft touch across his head, and with the slow, soothing words, he felt a sudden, traitorous surge of emotion warm his chest. With an effort, he tamped it down. _No. NO. I am not a dog. I am not a pet. I am a grown man, and I..._

Here, hime-chan stood, stretching. She stepped over him, crossing into the small datsuiba, shedding her work clothes like a snakeskin, and the surge of emotion Shigure had been battling up until that point was replaced with an entirely different kind of feeling. He watched as she folded her clothes, setting them on a shelf before pulling her hair up into a loose ponytail. She turned, crossing the room again, her steps carefully avoiding the dog. Akemi stepped into the tub slowly, sinking down into the steaming water with a relieved sigh.

"What are we going to do, you and I?" she asked, lolling her head to the side and regarding him with a lazy expression. "Gotta get those flyers posted this weekend." Her brows drew together in thought, and she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, apparently turning something over in her mind before letting out a sudden yawn. After a moment she closed her eyes, reaching out of the tub and running a warm, wet hand over Shigure's head.

Shigure rested his head on the tub's high rim, smothering his sigh. _I'm sorry, hime-chan. I wish we could wait for them to find me, but I just don't have that kind of time._

After her bath, Shigure followed hime-chan to her bedroom, where he crawled onto her bed as she changed into goldfish-print novelty pajamas. She lay down on top of the covers, plucking a dog-eared novel from her nightstand and putting on a pair of reading glasses. She settled against the pillows, curling onto her side as she read.

Shigure watched for a moment or two as her eyes scanned the text. The Dog shifted slightly, settling alongside the woman, absently wondering if she'd eaten dinner yet. He wasn't particularly hungry – he'd done nothing but sleep all day. But if she'd been up since dawn and worked all day, she should probably have something to eat, if she hadn't already.

He shook his head briskly, exhaling a soft huff that might have sounded almost like a chuckle. _Tohru-kun's rubbing off on me, I think._

Since it was evident that he wasn't going to get to a phone before morning, Shigure rested his head against the pillow. He pushed the burgeoning worries about Tohru-kun, Kyou-kun, and Yuki-kun from his mind, as well as any concerns he might have had about the structural integrity of his house. Tomorrow was another day, and he'd figure something out by then. Though he had plenty to worry about already, the problem of deadlines was an issue that was slowly prodding its way from the back of his mind to the forefront. Mit-chan was bound to be coming around for his chapters by the end of the next week. They were nearly done, of course, but he preferred to stay ahead of Mit-chan, and if he wasn't around, he couldn't write, and if he couldn't write, he couldn't very well stay ahead.

The Dog took one last look at the dark-haired woman before letting his eyes slide shut. His mind had only just drifted off to his latest effort, mentally outlining the remaining chapters, when he realized something, something important. Shigure's eyes snapped open again, going directly to hime-chan's hands and the novel she held.

She was reading one of his books.

The ache in his body and the worries about his home and work evaporated momentarily in a flush of pleasure. He eased forward, placing his weight on his uninjured forepaw as he tried to peer at the pages, in order to get an idea of where she was in the plot. It wasn't one of his best efforts, but had been well-received – Shigure glanced at her face, trying to gauge whether she was enjoying it or not, but there was no way to tell. She seemed engaged, but...

He looked back at the book, his eyes scanning the text. _Ah, good, good – she's made it this far. Past the slow point, at least, so she must like it despite—_

Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "...Kuroi? The hell?"

Shigure looked up suddenly, realizing belatedly that he'd been reading over her shoulder, nosing closer and closer to the book – his own reading glasses were far from reach at the moment. In the process, his head had come to block the book completely. And now she was watching him, equal parts puzzlement and amusement in her gaze.

He blinked at her, looking back at the book, his mind scrambling for an explanation before he realized he couldn't give one. Absolved of this responsibility, Shigure fixed his biggest canine grin on the woman before leaning over and licking the side of her face from chin to temple. Her laughter was immediate as she backed away playfully, dropping the book. Smiling to himself, he carefully leaned over for another try, but was pushed back -- gently.

Hime-chan was wiping at her face with the cuff of her sleeve, shaking her head and smiling at him. "Weirdo."

_And who am I to argue that?_ His tongue lolled out of his maw as he panted, inordinately pleased with himself.

Rolling onto her back, she brought her hand to his head, smoothing the black fur. "You're feeling better, aren't you?"

_Well, I'm certainly not feeling worse..._ He closed his eyes and tilted his head against her hand. Tomorrow. He'd call home tomorrow. All Shigure needed to do was get a hold of Ha-san -- between the two of them, they'd figure out a way to get him back where he belonged with as little trouble as possible. For now he allowed himself to enjoy the slow, soothing hand as it glided across his head and down his back, ever mindful of the bandages. His body had not yet let him forget about the abuse it had undergone, and every time he moved too quickly or breathed too deeply, his ribs protested. But this -- this certainly didn't feel bad, by any stretch of the imagination.

Taking her book up in one hand, hime-chan resituated herself against the pillows. She continued to pet a slow line from the top of Shigure's head all the way down his back. He lay back down, snuffling softly, closing his eyes at the light touch. He was barely aware of the soft flipping of pages as she made her way through the novel – a bit more clumsily with only one hand, he was sure. Between the soothing ministrations and the warm leg pressed against him, Shigure soon succumbed to slumber.

* * *

A/N: Anyone who might be wondering -- we realize Mayuko doesn't know about the family curse in canon. However, as we tried to explain at the start, the fic is set after the anime, and has a lot of manga spoilers. We figured it was logical that Mayuko would find out about the curse if she and Hatori were involved for any length of time. But we didn't want to put too much emphasis on the finding-out, because, as far as the fic is concerned, the "how" isn't quite as important. :) 


	8. Chapter 7: The Princess and the Pooch

A Bump in the Road: Chapter Seven

A/N: Yay for updates! And yay for Aoi's super-excellent beta-reading skillz! And yay for the holidays being over! So, please enjoy the first chapter of the new year!

Chapter Seven: The Princess and the Pooch

_The quality of mercy is not strain'd.  
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven  
Upon the place beneath.  
It is twice blest:  
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes._

_Merchant of Venice_ IV i

A steady, hard rattling, like pebbles against tin, nudged the Dog from the deep, content slumber that had wrapped itself around him. With a soft groan, he pried open one eye to glare at the window. The sky was foreboding and grey (and by this point he was an expert on grey), dark clouds gathering in a thick mass above. Frozen rain mixed with sleet pelted against the window; his first thoughts were of Kyou. He imagined the Cat was suffering through this; warm weather, cold weather, it didn't matter -- rain was rain.

He sighed. _Well, that settles it. Things could always be worse._ He was injured and stuck in his animal form -- he could have been injured, stuck in his animal form, _and_ affected adversely by the weather.

Shigure stretched gingerly; the all-over ache was still annoyingly present, but it seemed – at least he _thought_ it seemed – to have lessened somewhat, though that could have been nothing more than wishful thinking and the residual painkillers in his system. Lifting his head slowly, the black dog peered at the clock on the nightstand. It was, by his estimation, about fifteen minutes before hime-chan would wake for her morning run.

His eyes went to the window again. _Correction. It's fifteen minutes before I _hope _she leaves for her run. It was cold yesterday and she went, but it wasn't cold, soggy, and slippery_.

Exhaling softly, he dropped his gaze to the sleeping woman. She was still stretched out on top of the blankets, the novel propped open against her chest, her glasses still firmly in place. He shook his head slowly, breathing a silent chuckle. _She's probably freezing._ Shaking his head, Shigure nosed gently at her arm. _If she wakes up, she'll at least get up and go for her run; then I can figure out where she keeps her phone and..._

His thoughts stuttered to a stop as she rolled onto her side, snuggling against him, her glasses going askew.

It made perfect sense, of course. He was warm. He had _fur_, for heaven's sake. And she – well, she'd slept without any covers, and she was cold.

She was cold, and he was warm. Simple, really. A scientific matter of body heat that Ha-san would have explained perfectly. So, what he really needed to do was wake her up. _Right. I need to wake her up, get her out, and then I'll call..._

She sighed, pressing her cheek against his shoulder.

_Dammit. Focus._

Uttering a low, whining groan, Shigure shifted slowly, prodding her neck with what he knew to be a very cold, very wet nose. She gave a soft mutter, slowly blinking awake and staring at him for several seconds as if she couldn't quite figure out what either of them were doing there. She twisted to examine the alarm clock and groaned again, pulling off her glasses and dropping them on the nightstand.

"It's too early, you little sadist," she yawned, pulling the blankets back and wriggling under them.

_Too early? This from the woman who got even less dressed than she is now to go outside and RUN, of all things? Are you insane?_

"S'raining," she pouted, snuggling against him again. "And it's Saturday. And I'm cold."

_Dammit. If this was going to happen, why the hell did I have to be a dog for it?_

Suppressing a mutter, Shigure nosed his way under the blankets. If she wasn't going for a run, he wasn't going to be able to phone Hatori. The dog situated himself on his uninjured side, keeping his back to hime-chan, who had reclaimed slumber with a speed that surprised him. She seemed to be sleeping quite soundly, and Shigure toyed with the idea of sneaking out of bed and at least _attempting_ a phone call, but those thoughts were quashed once a soft, contented sigh tickled his ear. _Maybe not._

It was a setback, yes -- a minor setback. Madame Opportunity had to present herself sooner or later, hopefully hand-in-hand with Lady Luck. He'd get his chance; he was sure of it -- he always got a chance. That's what Shigure did -- he seized opportunities. It wasn't a matter of _if_ an opportunity would arise -- it was a matter of _when_. Satisfied, he let his body sink into the warmth of the bed and blankets before drifting off to sleep once more.

* * *

Yuki ran his hand over his face, taking another look at the printout. He and Kyou had started early, taking turns calling the numbers on the list while Honda-san was at school. She was due home any moment now, and while the Rat and Cat had nearly worked through the entire printout of veterinary clinics, pet stores, and animal shelters, the much shorter list of places that had a large black dog on record did not look optimistic. 

And Shigure _still_ hadn't called.

_Damn it.

* * *

_

_Goddammit_.

It wasn't fair. It _really_ wasn't fair. In fact, just when it seemed that the situation's unfairness had reached its absolute peak, something _else_ happened. And now, _now_, after all that had already transpired, Shigure was absolutely, positively _beside_ himself.

How could a person _not_ _have a telephone?_

Scratch that -- how could a person's _only_ means of verbal communication with the outside world be a little chunk of plastic and metal, folded in such a way that he could never, ever _open the godforsaken thing?_

Shigure glared at the tiny piece of accursed technology lying innocuously on the living room couch. The only way he could open it was to use his teeth, and damned if _that_ wouldn't be interesting to explain. And even if he did manage to open the flip-phone, there was still the matter of the buttons. They were miniscule rectangles clearly not made for canine paws.

"Okay," he breathed. "Pull yourself together. There's a way out of this – you just have to find it." Shigure pushed himself to his feet, swearing and sitting immediately as a sharp twinge came from his wrist. Closing his eyes, he kept one ear was trained on the soft rush of water; hime-chan was still in the shower -- good. "Think. Just think. All right. I can't call Ha-san. I can't stay here. What am I supposed to do – walk home?" Shigure gave a brisk, disgusted shake of his head. "Fantastic idea. Because the possibility for exposing myself in public is so much more appealing..."

He closed his eyes and uttered a low, frustrated whine. _Dammit, Ha-san, I'm trying to do something here, but I'm stuck!_

No. No, he was _not_ stuck. This wasn't the time or place for self-pity. There was a way out of the situation; there _had_ to be. He was a writer, for God's sake! He'd _created_ more difficult problems than this! The fact that he couldn't think of a single one was neither here nor there. And, again, the novelist felt a sharp craving for a cigarette.

He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, concentrating. "All right. What would Ha-san do?" Though Shigure never would have admitted it to the doctor freely -- or without a great deal of liquor involved -- he privately considered Ha-san something of a gold standard for integrity.

_What would Ha-san do? He would've looked both ways before crossing the damned street!_

"No," he growled, shaking his head again. "Not helping." _Ha-san would... he would ... do the safest thing possible. Which... which in this case would probably be to wait for someone to notice him gone and come collect him. Hime-chan said she was going to put up flyers, so... logically, someone's going to have to see them. The children on the way to school, maybe. Someone will see them. All right. Now – transformation? Of course, if Ha-san were here and he transformed, water issues aside, well... well, he'd take care of that, too. So. I cross my fingers -- figuratively speaking -- and hope someone's observant enough to –_

At this point, the novelist's canine body began to complain – heartily. It had been too many hours since his last dose of painkillers. His train of thought effectively cut off, he lowered himself to the living room floor with a heartfelt groan. _Ow! I hurt. And I'm a dog. And I hurt!_

He stayed like that, sprawled out on the floor, eyes closed, a litany of soft whines forming in the back of his throat. Shigure's sensitive ears picked up a series of light footfalls and when he forced his eyes open and looked up, hime-chan was standing there, her hair damp and combed back, her body swathed in a robe. She was looking down at him, her eyes wide.

She looked... concerned. Worried. Afraid?

"What are you doing way out here, big guy?" Dropping to her knees, she leaned forward, touching his nose softly. Her frown deepened. "Hm. Dry. A little warm," she murmured to herself. Sighing deeply, she did the only thing she could do at that moment – she brought her hand to his head and petted him. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm sorry you hurt. I'm sorry Taka didn't _listen_. You're gonna be all right, okay?" Blowing out a deep breath, she shook her head and stood, quick steps taking her to the kitchen. She returned a few seconds later, something clutched in her hand. Shigure sincerely hoped they were painkillers.

The canine watched intently as she lowered herself back down to her knees, holding her hand out flat, a piece of – he sniffed – pork was in the middle of her palm. He lifted his head and took the offering willingly, ignoring the bitter, powdery taste that clung to the meat.

"Come on, you," she urged gently. "This can't be comfortable."

Shigure let her hands guide him to his feet. What had been a dull ache was growing more insistent now, and his steps were slow, but steady. He didn't entirely care where she led him, as long as it wasn't a long trip.

"That's it. That's a good boy..."

She was carefully guiding him onto the couch, which would have allowed Shigure to get an even closer look at the cell phone he'd been cursing earlier. Kneeling by the sofa, she ran one hand lightly over his bandaged ribs. "Poor thing," she breathed, half to herself. After a moment, she looked at him, frowned, and shook her head. Without another word, she stood again and left the room, returning shortly thereafter with a blanket. Had Shigure not been so uncomfortable -- though that was slowly changing -- he would have laughed.

"Just for a little while," she said as she shook out the afghan and placed it over him.

Exhaling a careful breath, Shigure settled under the afghan. When he inhaled -- also carefully -- the unique scent of fabric softener, tea, and eucalyptus filled his nose. Breathing deeply, Shigure's limbs relaxed as the world blurred. The Dog let his eyes slide shut, eased to sleep more quickly by the gentle scratching behind one ear. He exhaled in a soft sigh as his discomfort slowly faded.

_And the princess rescues the prince one more time.

* * *

Time had passed. Shigure wasn't sure how he knew, only that he knew.He'd fallen into a comfortable, dreamless doze,but even in his current state,he could tell that minutes had passed, or possibly hours.Something was warm against his cheek. Shigure's mind still felt like it was wrapped in sopping wool, but consciousness teased at him, and he slowly eased his eyes open. He was still on the couch. A black and white movie -- at least he was pretty __sure_ it was a black and white movie -- flashed across the television screen, the volume low. He couldn't tell how much time had passed; frozen rain and sleet still pattered against the windows, and the house was quiet aside from the television. Yawning widely, Shigure shifted, feeling blissfully heavy, and rubbed his face contentedly against a warm, denim-covered leg. 

Time had passed. Shigure wasn't sure how he knew, only that he knew.He'd fallen into a comfortable, dreamless doze,but even in his current state,he could tell that minutes had passed, or possibly hours.Something was warm against his cheek. Shigure's mind still felt like it was wrapped in sopping wool, but consciousness teased at him, and he slowly eased his eyes open. He was still on the couch. A black and white movie -- at least he was pretty it was a black and white movie -- flashed across the television screen, the volume low. He couldn't tell how much time had passed; frozen rain and sleet still pattered against the windows, and the house was quiet aside from the television. Yawning widely, Shigure shifted, feeling blissfully heavy, and rubbed his face contentedly against a warm, denim-covered leg. 

_...What?_

The Dog blinked once and turned his head. Sure enough, hime-chan was curled up in the corner of the couch with his head resting heavily in her lap. Her hand drifted lightly over his head, fingertips tracing the line of his ears with a slow, lazy motion as she watched the movie playing out on the television. Shigure blinked, tilting his head slightly, and took this moment to watch her unnoticed. Her dark hair was short, barely brushing her shoulders, and looked as if it was still damp from her shower. No longer wrapped in a bathrobe, she now wore jeans and a sweatshirt emblazoned with the logo of what looked like a university, but he wasn't curious enough to stretch and shift to get a better look.

Smothering another yawn, Shigure's eyes went back to the television. His first guess had been right -- it was an older movie she was watching. American. This made his eyebrows knit together slightly; she didn't seem like the type to watch foreign films -- particularly older foreign films. _Assuming she is a "type," and assuming I'd know what type she is. I wouldn't have taken her for the type to bring a strange dog into her home, either. I also wouldn't have expected her to be the type to date a man with such awful driving skills. So she is clearly a woman whose judgment is, at best, questionable._

Turning his attention back to the screen, Shigure watched for a moment, trying to place the actors. Katherine Hepburn glided across the screen, eventually followed by Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. There were no subtitles transcribing the rapid-fire dialogue, and he found he couldn't quite manage to apply what English he _did_ know -- his head was far too fuzzy. But after watching for a few moments, it dawned on him that he'd seen this one once before. It had been on late one night, and while the dubbing had been laughable, the movie itself hadn't been bad. He searched the stores of his admittedly muddy memory, searching for the title, but coming up empty. It was something like _The Story-Something_, or _The Something-Story_, or _The Something-Something_.

Closing his eyes, he shifted sleepily, letting the nonsense words wash over him, lulling him back into the comfortable haze he'd been pulled from. He rested like that for a while longer, fading in and out of consciousness, aware of the warm leg under his head as well as the slow, soothing ministrations along his ears. Before long, the dialogue stopped, and the only sound was of the sleet hitting the roof and windows. Shigure cracked open one eye long enough to see hime-chan pick up the remote control and switch off the television and DVD player before leaning back and stretching leisurely. He lifted his head a bit as she shifted, and when she looked down at him, she seemed almost surprised to find him awake. That surprise slowly melted into a small smile and she rubbed his ears gently.

"Feeling better, I hope." When Shigure nosed her hand by way of answer, she nodded to herself before slowly easing off the couch. Shigure lifted his head as she moved, the better to let her get to her feet. He closed his eyes again, listening as she yawned and stretched, joints popping. After a moment, he felt her kneel next to the couch, touching his nose lightly. Blinking his eyes open, the Dog regarded her from bad-breath distance. Perhaps she was still uncomfortable with the idea of a strange animal in her house -- although that didn't quite explain how at ease she seemed around him -- but Shigure had grown to appreciate the woman's careful touch.

Of course, her darling _Taka_ had been the one driving, so perhaps gentleness was one way of making up for her beloved's negligence.

"You worried me for a bit there, pup," she murmured, stroking his muzzle. She watched him thoughtfully for a moment or two and then stood and padded into the kitchen. He could hear her moving about, opening and closing cabinets; the clink of glass and a metallic clatter followed. The scent of cooking meat soon filled the air, and, despite the fact she'd already fixed him his customary breakfast of leftovers, Shigure wondered -- hoped, really -- if she was planned on sharing her dinner with him again.

It wasn't long before she returned, carrying a wide dish that was, by this point, happily familiar to him. Shigure sat up slowly, the blanket falling away as he eased himself off the couch. She set the dish on the floor, and while he was somewhat surprised that she was letting him eat in a room other than the kitchen, that surprise was short-lived as he dug into the dish of meat, rice and eggs she'd prepared. After a few bites, he realized she hadn't stayed in the room with him. The Dog frowned a little at that, but shook it off. There was no reason for her to stick by his side constantly, after all, so he turned his attention to his meal. _A polite guest eats his dinner before it gets cold, after all._

After Shigure had licked the dish clean, he straightened, taking cautious, limping steps out of the living room. He heard her voice coming from the study and, ears flicking once, he turned and headed that way. The world was growing less fuzzy, but his steps were still fairly uncertain as he favored his forepaw. After what felt like a long, exhausting trek, Shigure found his hime-chan in her office, her meal cold and untouched as she spoke into a cell phone.

The dog stopped and blinked once. When had she become _his_ "hime-chan"?

Certainly he appreciated the fact that she hadn't abandoned him at the vet's office, and he was definitely grateful for a warm place to sleep in a home completely void of dog food. He was also thankful that she was genuinely _worried_ about him. Shigure was all too aware of the various ways this scenario could have worked out. But... _his_?

_It's not as if we have any sort of claim on each other; she is a kind woman who took in an injured animal. She is not "mine."_ _She's not mine any more than I'm hers._ The very idea was positively ridiculous. Shigure certainly belonged to no one. He was his own man... most of the time, and when he wasn't his own man, he was his own dog.

But then he was reminded of careful hands petting him, gentle fingers tracing the triangular ears atop his head or touching his nose to check for fever; he thought of the unmitigated concern she showed for him -- when she didn't even _know_ him. Not _really_, anyway.

Ah, but it was still ridiculous. She wasn't his, and he wasn't hers. To suggest otherwise... well, it was as absurd as to suggest that Tohru-kun "belonged" to Kyou-kun and Yuki-kun, and that they, in turn, "belonged" to her.

Shigure blinked once. Somehow, without his permission, his mind had wandered into uncharted and unwelcome territory.

He gave the woman a long, considering look. _The heroic princess, rescuing her disguised prince -- a few times over? I think by this point, I've earned the right to call her "my" hime-chan._ He let out a silent breath of a laugh. _Either that, or that thong is getting to me._ Tilting his head for a moment, Shigure called up the memory of hime-chan dressing for work the previous morning. The mental image was clear and sharp, his mind supplying its own palette of color; he imagined her skin was fair -- milk and honey -- a faint pink blush at her cheeks. He was nearly certain her hair was black, but her eyes... Shigure tilted his head, his writer's imagination providing her with grey eyes -- the more fanciful part of his imagination suggested that they were the color of snow-heavy skies. After a moment's consideration, he decided that indigo probably favored her, and soon he had a particularly vivid mental picture floating around in his mind.

He indulged in the fantasy for a moment or two before shoving it from his mind -- tosave for later, perhaps --and turning his attention to the one-sided conversation.

"... I know, Mama," she was saying, her elbow propped on the low desk, her forehead pressed against her hand, fingers slowly massaging her temples. "I'm _not_ putting it off..." He could see her grimace at the voice on the phone, but when she spoke again her tone was cheerful. "Of course I think Kobe sounds... nice." Pause. "Sure we could." A pause, followed by a slight wrinkle of the nose. "Well, honestly, I think I prefer Kyoto." Another pause, a little longer. "Yes, I know Taka goes there frequently, but--" She rubbed her forehead again. "A dress? No... no, I hadn't really thought about it." Another pause. "Well, yes... I know I'll _need_ one. But I... well, actually, Mama, I was thinking that I'd like something more... traditional." Her gaze went to Shigure and she smiled a moment before turning her attention back to the cell phone. "Well, you know, I thought kimono might be nice, rather than something Western."

There came then a very long pause, and the Dog's sensitive ears could hear a great deal of chatter coming through the small earpiece.

Hime-chan colored slightly and looked down. "Yes, Mama, I know I don't..." She sighed and rubbed at her forehead slowly. "I just thought it might be nice," she said again, her voice softer now. "Sydney? Don't you think that's a bit-- no, of course I _like_ Sydney, Mama."

Shigure blinked. So "Taka" was not her reckless, careless boyfriend. Rather, he was her reckless, careless _fiancé_. Interesting.

"What -- flowers? The wedding isn't for a _year_. I don't know. I... I guess something simple..." She grimaced again. "Listen, Mama, the dog's awake. I should check on--" Her brows drew together in annoyance. "The dog Takashi hit. I've got him here, remember?" She closed her eyes and gave her head a brief shake before bringing her hand up to her neck and rubbing slowly. "Right. Yes. That's the one. I need to call Sho and find out when's the best time to..." There was a brief pause and hime-chan rolled her eyes. "Mother, I'm sorry -- I really can't talk now. I'll phone you later. Give my love to Papa." She flipped the phone shut and stood up immediately, striding out of the study, taking her cold, unfinished dinner with her. There was a clatter as he heard her set the dish in the sink.

Tilting his head, Shigure followed, finding hime-chan in the living room once again, sitting on the floor, her back pressed against the couch. Her eyes were trained on the window, watching the rain beat against the glass. Her features were set in a tight scowl, her arms folded across her chest. He sat about an arm's length away, watching her silently. The scowl held for nearly a full minute before hime-chan blew out a deep breath, rubbing at her temples again.

Curious, Shigure nudged her shoulder gently with his nose, pulling her attention away from the window. She looked at him for a few seconds, a thoughtful frown etched on her forehead, and then she brought her hand up and mussed the fur between his ears. "You're a good boy. You know that?"

After a few moments, she got up again and retrieved her plate from the study. But instead of reheating her dinner and finishing it, she went into the kitchen and, from the sounds of things, put the plate away with the rest of the leftovers. Afterward, rather than returning to the living room, she went down the hallway to her bedroom. Curious, he followed with slow, limping steps, half-wishing she'd simply _stay put. I'm in no shape to follow her all around the house -- doesn't she realize that?_

When he reached the bedroom, he was faintly surprised to find her curled up on her bed, novel in hand again. He went to the bedside and sat, watching her for a moment. When she'd been reading last night, she seemed completely absorbed in the book. Now she had the look of one _trying_ to become absorbed in her reading. There was a frown at her forehead, and she was grinding her teeth softly.

Pursing his lips, Shigure crawled onto the bed, lying down and resting his head on his left forepaw, looking up at her. After several moments, she felt his gaze and looked up from the book. She laughed softly and shook her head. "I guess you're a people-dog, eh?"

He didn't answer, but instead nudged her hand with his nose. She took this as tacit encouragement, and brought her hand to his head, petting him slowly. Setting the book on the bed, she rolled onto her side, running her hand across his smooth head.

"It's just cold feet," she said, closing her eyes. "Taka's good for me. And... aside from what happened with you -- aside from that, he's..." A tiny frown formed. "He's smart. And stable. He's a good guy." There was a long pause. "Mama's right; I'm just being silly," she finally said.

What Shigure couldn't ignore was the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. She sounded very much like a child who's been told to finish her vegetables because they're healthy. He allowed himself a soft huff of a sigh. _Yes, that all sounds very lovely and very boring, my dear hime-chan. But, you know, as many times as we tell Kyou-kun leeks are good for him, he_ still _doesn't like them._

* * *

She had dozed off.

Akemi opened her eyes slowly, rubbing tiredly at her face. Her novel was face down on the bed, Kuroi's dark head lying heavily atop it. The large canine seemed to be sleeping peacefully, from what she could tell in the dim room. A small smile flickered at her lips and she brought her hand to the dog's head, smoothing the fur back slowly.

To say she'd been hesitant to bring a dog into her home would have been an understatement. The place was small, and she was seldom home during the week. But she wasn't about to let Takashi drive off and leave the poor animal at the side of the road -- that was needlessly cruel, and it didn't settle well with her that it hadn't bothered Takashi in the least.

Sighing, she sat up and rolled her shoulders before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing. Akemi stood for a moment at her bedroom window, looking up at the moonless, starless sky. A headache had been thumping in her head all day, and while the nap had given her a brief reprieve, her temples were beginning to throb again -- a lovely counterpoint to the ache in her neck and shoulders that didn't seem to want to leave. At least there was more of the same grey, cold weather forecasted for Sunday -- another slow, quiet day ahead. It was rather nice, actually, given the pace in the office lately. There were mornings when she awoke half-surprised to find that she hadn't dreamt in HTML code the night before.

And, strangely, the day didn't seem quite as empty as days off often did. She'd already grown used to the companionship the large black dog provided. Maybe -- maybe after he was claimed, she'd look into getting her own dog. Something smaller, maybe.

_Mm. Great idea. Because you're home so much. And Takashi -- well he's clearly a dog-lover. A flawless plan._

Blowing out a breath, Akemi padded into the kitchen and fished a small mug out of the cabinet, pattering quietly about, making a cup of tea. When the delicate blend finished steeping, Akemi disposed of the soggy green tea leaves and picked up her cup. When she turned to leave the room, she found Kuroi, sitting on his haunches at the entryway to the kitchen, watching her intently. Starting slightly, Akemi let out a long breath, shaking her head ruefully. "You're going to give me a heart attack that way, mutt. And, dammit, you're supposed to be _resting_. Go lay down, or something."

He only tilted his head at her, as if contemplating her words before deciding to ignore them. He seemed to do that a lot -- watch her as if he comprehended every word. But then, she'd heard that about dogs; that's why they were such popular companions: they made you _feel_ as if they were listening, as if they understood.

Cradling the cup in her hands, she went to one of the living room windows, resting her forehead on the cold glass as she stared out, her eyes seeing past her reflection in the glass. It was still sleeting, and she could just make out the trees' branches rustling in the chilly February wind. She hated this weather -- spring was fighting to break free of winter's icy grip, and just when it looked as if it was going to succeed, they got days like this one, with weather as wintry as mid-December. Spring had seemed nearly upon them earlier in the week, but the memory of those days was buried under sleet and frozen rain. The wind howled beyond the glass and, shivering, she sipped at the hot tea and closed her eyes. She let out a long, deep breath, listening to the wind and trying to dispel the uneasiness that had been tugging at the back of her mind for most of the day.

Even though the wedding was still a year away, her mother had been phoning her nearly every day, reminding her of appointments with wedding planners, dressmakers, caterers, florists -- appointments Akemi hadn't made, but had no choice but to keep. The wedding planner, definitely. She had so little time as it was -- any help in planning a wedding was going to be a blessing. Unless that help came from her mother, whose enthusiasm for the event was overwhelming and more than a little intimidating.

Privately, Akemi considered herself lucky that her mother wasn't insisting too strenuously on having the wedding in Sydney. Her father had taught Japanese there, while her mother had taught history at the same university. They'd met there and were married there, moving to Japan only when Matsushita Sarah had discovered that she was expecting. Sydney held meaning and memory for both of her parents, and while it was where Akemi herself had gone to university -- and she'd _enjoyed_ it -- that kind of wedding simply wasn't what she wanted.

Of course, that prompted the question of what she _did_ want, and Akemi didn't know the answer to that, either.

She took another sip of the steaming green tea before blowing out a thoughtful breath. Two years -- after two years, two people _should_ start discussing marriage. It was logical.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't as excited as she should have been, but...

"I _want_ to get married," she said quietly, nodding once. "I want to be Takashi's wife."

Something flattened inside of her, and she wrinkled her nose. He was a well-known and admired professor -- her father adored him. Why shouldn't she want to be his wife?

She sighed once, rolling her shoulders. _I just need some time to get used to the idea._

Akemi knew the practical side of marriage -- it made many things easier in the long run. And she was... well, _practical_. Usually. She took another long sip and closed her eyes as the warm liquid traveled down her throat, soothing her from the inside, out.

The biggest disappointment she'd had to deal with so far was that every last romantic movie she'd seen in all of her twenty-seven years had lied. That heart-pounding, palm-sweating, cheek-flushing giddiness of being in love didn't last. It faded into complacency and comfort. She wondered just how much would change when she and Takashi moved in together. They barely saw each other as it was -- she worked, and he was either teaching or giving guest lectures at other universities. From where Akemi sat, very little would change aside from the fact that she'd no longer have the bed entirely to herself.

She snuck a glance at the large black dog lying silently at her side, eyes closed, oblivious of the wintry weather outside. A tiny, wry smile tilted her lips. _Not that I get it all to myself these days._


	9. Chapter 8: Manipulative Mutts

A Bump in the Road: Chapter Eight

A/N: Again, great thanks to Aoi, who managed to beta this despite work, school, and personal illness. There was a slight lapse in posting for a while, but there was an excellent reason for it -- on February 2, Niamh became mama to an Australian Shepherd puppy, named Darwin, and was losing precious, precious sleep during the housetraining process. But she is now a proud dog-owner and has loads of practical puppy experience, which she can now draw on. (The things we do to research our fics!)

Chapter Eight: Manipulative Mutts

_Let Hercules himself do what he may; the cat will mew, and the dog will have his day._

Hamlet, V i

Something... wasn't right. Shigure couldn't put his finger -- paw -- on it, but something was definitely off.

He hadn't given it much thought at first when hime-chan had slept well into Sunday morning. In fact, it was rather nice -- and far more in line with his normal habits -- to sleep in. Granted, he wasn't entirely surprised when she didn't get up, particularly since she'd skipped going for her run the previous morning. That said, it did annoy him a little, since it meant he wasn't going to get a chance with her cell phone. He hadn't given up on the cell phone just yet -- after a good night's sleep, he decided that, with enough time and patience, he could manage the accursed piece of technology.

But when she stumbled groggily out of bed to let him use the facilities, only to stumble into the kitchen to assemble what turned out to be a collection of _cold _leftovers, Shigure was puzzled. He was growing accustomed to his hostess's routine, and a breakfast of _reheated_ leftovers (to which she added a fresh boiled egg) _always _followed the hated visit outdoors. It was what made the whole thing bearable: the comforting knowledge that a bowl of steaming food would be waiting for him afterward.

But not this morning. This morning, she put the dish on the floor and shuffled back to her bedroom. After he'd eaten, Shigure returned to the cocoon of blankets on the bed and rested as hime-chan slept. It was nearly noon when she rose again to shower and dress. At that point, he followed her to her office for a while, curling up on the floor and listening to the soft tapping against her keyboard.

It wasn't long before she got up from her desk and returned to the bedroom. Again, Shigure followed (even if he was increasingly unsure as to _why_ he was following). He lay down and burrowed beneath the covers as she crawled into bed and pulled up the blankets, then slid on her glasses and picked up the novel she'd been reading. Three turns of the page later, she had fallen asleep and was snoring softly.

Shigure was trying very hard not to be insulted -- it had seemed as if she was enjoying the book. How on earth could it have bored her _that_ much? Resting his head on his uninjured paw, he watched her sleep, pondering the morning so far. Yes, something was clearly wrong. She hadn't so much as greeted him yet. There hadn't been a single pat on the head, not one solitary rub of the ears. Aside from letting him out to relieve himself and feeding him breakfast (a _cold_ breakfast), hime-chan had barely acknowledged him.

_This won't do. If I'm overstaying my welcome, she'll be more apt to bring me back to that vet friend of hers -- or worse, the animal shelter. _He grimaced at the thought; no warm beds and leftover soba noodles there, to be sure._ All right, perhaps it's time to ingratiate myself a bit, hmm?_ Shifting his body carefully, mindful of the aches and twinges that had by now become his intimate friends, Shigure leaned over and nosed at her cheek.

She didn't stir.

_That's unusual._ Frowning, he began to sniff at her neck, up to her ear. It was a trick he'd learned to use with Aya; when all else failed, the light, tickling breaths would wake _anyone_ up. And it worked, for a second or two -- light eyes blinked open, and his benefactress regarded him muzzily before giving him a sleepy little smile, patting him on the head, rolling over, and reclaiming her nap.

_That's _very_ unusual._ But when Shigure leaned over and nuzzled her cheek again, he noticed that she seemed warm. Very warm -- possibly feverish. _Well, that casts a little light on things, doesn't it? _He sunk back onto his haunches and considered this new development. A fever meant it was unlikely she'd post the flyers she'd mentioned, which would impede his return home. It also meant, if breakfast was anything to go by, that the quality of the cuisine would be suffering in the meantime.

It was a problem, definitely. Still, on the other hand -- paw -- staying here was better than being caged in a kennel somewhere. If she was unwell, though, that would certainly delay his return home, and _that_ was something he was uncomfortable postponing.

Hime-chan rolled onto her side, and the novel fell to the floor with a light thud. Sighing, Shigure lay down and regarded his caretaker. An ironic term, really, since she was in no shape to be taking care of him. _All right, so who cares for the caretakers?_

Shigure considered Kyou-kun, resolutely donning a mask and goggles to cook for Tohru-kun when she was unwell. _Which probably means the illustrious Takashi will be coming by,_ he thought darkly. _How lucky for me._ Glowering a little, the Dog resituated himself, resting his head on the pillow. If _Taka-kun_ was going to pay them a visit, he'd better show up soon. It was already past noon and as far as Shigure had seen, hime-chan hadn't eaten a thing.

His ears drooped. _Why me?_

Shaking his head a little, Shigure leaned over, keeping one eye on the sleeping hime-chan, and grasped the end of the blanket between his teeth, pulling the covers up _slowly._ This was very high on the list of un-doglike things he didn't want to be caught doing right now, ranking up there with "smoking" and "reading the morning paper." But she didn't wake, didn't move, save for curling up under the warmth of the blankets.

It occurred to Shigure that there was probably never a better time for him to call Ha-san. If he could get in touch with Hatori, the Dragon would come by to collect him and, possibly, take a look at hime-chan as well. Besides, she was sleeping soundly. There wasn't anything short of a bomb going off (or, failing that, Ha-kun going Black) that would rouse her.

His mind was made up. Moving slowly and carefully, Shigure crept out of hime-chan's bed and began the search for her cell phone. At that moment, he wasn't thinking about the obvious difficulties the tiny flip-phone posed. He wasn't thinking about the miniscule number pad. He wasn't even thinking about the fact that he knew precisely squat about where he was and who he was with. Because he was calling _Ha-san_ -- the most responsible, the most dependable of the Juunishi. There was very little on this earth that his friend didn't know how to do. Everything would be _fine,_ once he got hold of the Dragon.

When Shigure caught sight of the cell phone on hime-chan's nightstand, he was quite certain that his birthday had come early. He took the phone into his mouth and eased onto the floor, trying to position the phone just-so in his paws. If he could get it situated correctly, he could probably pry the phone open.

All he had to do was take his time.

Slowly, gently, he used his teeth to pull the phone open. After the first try, the phone snapped shut in mid-attempt. After the second try, it fell from his paws and slid to the floor. After the _third_ try, however, the phone was open.

Shigure very nearly uttered a prayer of thanks, so great was his relief. _Now all I have to do is--_

"Kuroi! No!"

_...Oh, shit._ Hime-chan was glaring down over the edge of the bed at him. She looked mussed, exhausted, and exceptionally displeased with him at that moment. Her eyes went to the cell phone in his paws and realized that she had assumed, mistakenly, he'd taken it for a chew-toy. Really, there was nothing wrong with the phone -- drool notwithstanding.

"That's not yours," she snapped, reaching down and grabbing the phone. As she inspected it for toothmarks, Shigure gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position and watched. "Dammit, dammit, _dammit,_" she muttered, wiping the saliva from the numberpad. "Not yours," she said again, sternly.

He wasn't surprised when his look of wounded dignity failed to penetrate her fevered irritation. But her next words were an absolute _shock_ to the Dog:

"Bad! Bad boy!"

Now, Shigure had been scolded quite a bit in his time -- usually by Ha-san. He was used to it. It happened. The sun shone. Rain fell from the sky. Wind blew. Ha-san scolded Shigure. It was the nature of things.

But this... this wasn't anything like Hatori's rebukes (because by this point Shigure expected Hatori to be disappointed in him). It wasn't anything like Mii-chan's tearful explosions (which he ignored), or Akito's outbursts (which he caused knowingly). No, Hime-chan's reaction was... entirely different. And he didn't even have the luxury of trying to talk her _out_ of her anger. Granted, she was working under the assumption that he'd been trying to ingest her cell phone. Given _that_, okay, maybe she had a right to be upset. And she didn't seem to be feeling well.

But was it really necessary for her to _yell_ at him like that? _Bad_ boy? He wasn't _bad;_ he was trying to phone a _doctor,_ for crying out loud!

Ears drooping, Shigure slunk around to the other side of the bed, his tail -- to his eternal shame and annoyance -- tucking between his legs. As of that moment, any small bit of control Shigure had over the situation was _gone_, and it was time to at least attempt to wrangle some of it back.

The Dog sighed a little and crawled back on the bed, where hime-chan was lying on her back, eyes closed. Moving carefully, he lay down next to her, once again burying his nose against her neck and nuzzling contritely as he let out a low whine. It wasn't often Shigure made an apologetic move, but somehow it was simpler in this form. Besides, it was a lot easier to ask forgiveness for chewing on a cell phone -- that was something concrete.

Several moments passed in this manner when Shigure realized something disconcerting: hime-chan was _ignoring him._ Either that, or she'd already fallen asleep and was lost in a far deeper slumber than even he could imagine. Frowning slightly, he moved, little by little, until her hand was in front of his nose. He sniffed it a moment before mouthing it gently.

Her voice, strained with fatigue, came from somewhere to his right. "Kuroi, _no._"

That answered _that_; she was still miffed with him for the cell phone. Somewhere inside, Shigure was faintly annoyed with hime-chan for not getting over the incident more quickly. He hadn't done any _damage_ to the phone -- no harm, no foul, right? _Besides, it's just a cell phone -- it's not like it's her only..._ His train of thought stopped. _All right, so maybe it is her only means of communication -- and whose fault is that, hmm?_

Even so, he wanted to wiggle his way back into his temporary caretaker's good graces, and if he couldn't rely on his charm, there weren't very many other avenues available to him. It was time to sacrifice a little bit of his dignity -- granted, Ha-san, Yuki-kun, and Kyou-kun would probably have argued there wasn't much left _to_ sacrifice, but Shigure knew better.

Nudging hime-chan's hand with his nose and then licking it to get her attention, Shigure waited until she was watching before he rolled onto his back, whimpering softly -- partially because it wasn't a very comfortable position, given his injuries, but partially because he was _trying_ to appear apologetic.

_Hopefully she knows even a little bit about dogs, enough to figure out I'm not just looking for a scratch on my--_

There was a deep sigh. "Fine, _fine_. You win." A scratch on his stomach followed, and his leg shook slightly as the sensation temporarily overrode the sore stiffness in his body. They stayed like that for a while -- Shigure couldn't say exactly, though it was probably many minutes. Gradually, hime-chan's fingers slowed and eventually stopped, her breathing becoming slow and deep. He rolled onto his side and looked up to see that she'd fallen asleep.

_Now what? I can't try the phone again; if it woke her up once, it'll probably wake her again. And if she catches me again, she probably won't be quite as forgiving._ And he'd depleted his store of canine apologies -- his dignity was still smarting from the earlier belly-scratch (no matter how good it had felt). After a moment or two of considering the situation, Shigure crawled under the covers before settling down and getting comfortable. He wasn't quite sure what to think when he heard hime-chan mutter in her sleep before rolling onto her side and moving closer to him, soaking up his warmth.

She was, he realized, shivering. And as Shigure watched his temporary benefactress huddle under the covers, he was reminded somewhat of Tohru-kun the first night she stayed at the house. He'd never known someone who could work herself into a fever so easily. Idly, the Dog wondered whether hime-chan's fever was stress-induced, or if she simply had a cold.

And amid all this wondering, Shigure also found himself bemused at Taka-san's absence. It was a Sunday -- surely he wasn't working. Wouldn't a husband-to-be want to be by his beloved fiancée's side when she was ill? Instead, a strange dog was with her, chewing on her cell phone and shedding all over her duvet.

It was upwards of two hours later when Shigure's ears pricked at the sound of a brisk knock at the door. Hime-chan was still sleeping soundly, and didn't stir when he pressed his nose against her cheek. He upped the ante, licking a bit at her cheek and letting out a low, groaning whine in the back of his throat. Slowly she blinked awake and stared at Shigure in sleepy confusion, until the knock sounded again. Glancing briefly at the clock, she swore and pushed back the covers before getting out of bed, wobbling briefly, and stumbling out of the room.

The Dog considered for a moment that if Taka-san were finally here, he should probably get off the bed. He then considered that it was Taka-san's fault that he was like this in the first place, and decided that he'd stay right where he was. Taka-san could deal with it.

But when hime-chan didn't return right away with her betrothed -- who, in Shigure's mind, had arrived bearing a medicine, juice, and a container of hot soup -- he got curious. He could hear voices coming from the next room, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. His burgeoning curiosity got the better of him, and he eased himself off of the bed, still mindful of his sore paw, and -- making sure to look as pathetic and as car-hit as possible -- limped out to the living room.

What he saw surprised him. It was not Taka-san who'd arrived, but someone else entirely. Someone who looked vaguely familiar, and who was presently resting his palm against an annoyed hime-chan's forehead.

"Sho-kun, I'm _fine._"

_Sho-kun?_ Shigure looked at the man for a moment, when his faintly medicinal scent finally registered: the vet.

_Wait a minute. The vet? What's he doing here? Aside from... is he checking her temperature?_

He pulled his hand away and looked at her with a wry smile. "You're supposed to go to a doctor for humans, 'Kemi-chan..."

_'Kemi-chan...?_ Shigure thought for a moment, frowning. _Akemi -- that's it!_ He regarded her and tilted his head in consideration. _Hmm. You know, I think I like 'hime-chan' better._

"Don't mock me, Sho-kun," she replied tiredly, giving him a weak glare as she tried to suppress her shiver.

"Ah, just a bit. Don't think of it as mocking; think of it as fond teasing." The wry edges smoothed out of his smile, softening it, and he reached up to muss her bangs.

"Like there's a difference." She rubbed at her face as if trying to banish the lingering exhaustion. "Besides, I'm perfectly fine. It's just a little cold. I'll be right as rain in the morning."

"Just a little cold? No, 'Kemi-chan, it's the flu. Fatigue, body aches, fever -- you're burning up. You need to be drinking plenty of fluids and getting some rest."

Shigure found a small sliver of satisfaction upon having been able to identify the fact that she did have a fever, but the fact that she _was_ sick bothered him. She was his sole link to the outside world at the moment, and if she wasn't going to be interacting with that world (and thereby helping him rejoin it himself), he really _was_ worse off than he thought.

"I have been resting," Akemi retorted.

Sho returned her volley with practiced ease. "At your desk? Very comfortable, I'm certain."

"_No._ But even if I were, it happens to be a very comfortable desk." When nothing but eloquent silence followed, she glared at him again. "Oh, don't give me that look."

"You're being foolish. You know how much longer it'll take you to get over it if you don't take better care of yourself."

"...Foolish?" she echoed, looking wounded. "Now you're just being mean."

Sho sighed and shook his head. "I'm telling you the truth."

Shigure watched Akemi-hime motion vaguely towards her room. "Shouldn't you be looking at Kuroi and lecturing him instead of me?"

"I'll check out the dog when you get back to bed. Besides, I have a feeling that Kuroi has enough sense to rest when--" He looked up suddenly, finally noticing Shigure sitting in the hallway. He lifted an eyebrow at the Dog and gave a slow shake of his head. "It appears as if I'm mistaken. Looks like he's got about as much sense as you do, 'Kemi."

Shigure blinked. _Hey, I have plenty of sense! Enough to stay in bed when I'm... all right, maybe I'm not in bed _now,_ but I definitely _wish_ I were_,_ which isn't the same thing as ignoring the fact that I _should_ be in bed, like _some_ people whose names I could mention._

Hime-chan, however, sensed that she was on the wrong end of a losing argument -- even Shigure could see that much. With one more weak glare, she turned around and shuffled down the hallway to her bedroom. Shigure turned and followed, and when she sat on the bed, he crawled up and joined her.

Sho pressed his lips together in a small almost-frown. Akemi paused as she was settling herself into bed, rearranging her pillows and straightening her blanket. "What is it?"

"See if you can try to keep him a little more settled in one place while he's here. I know it's easier said than done, but it's best if he keeps as much weight off of that leg as possible for the time being."

She snorted and looked at the Dog as she lay back against the pillows. "Easier said than done is right. He follows me just about everywhere."

_Yes,_ Shigure thought, keeping his expression as bland as possible,_ and if you stayed in one place, that would make things infinitely easier for me. But you don't seem to catch a hint too quickly, do you?_

"Well, that works out well for both of you -- if you don't move from that spot, neither will he," Sho replied, giving her a benign smile, which she did not return.

"...My god, you're an ass."

"Yes, I know," Sho said cheerfully as he began examining Shigure's canine body.

He poked and prodded, efficient and thorough without seeming impatient or handling Shigure too roughly. He wasn't Ha-san, of course, but no one was. Shigure was rather curious himself to find out if he was showing any improvement. There was a fine line between being on the mend after injury and healing to the point where "Who are you and why are you naked in my bed?" became a question requiring immediate attention. Shigure didn't really want to get to the latter point.

But as the vet was handling Shigure's paw, something twinged sharply, and it was only through sheer luck that the Dog managed not to swear. Instead, he let out a yelp, which may have sounded more human than canine; if it did, both Akemi and the vet were polite enough not to say anything about it. Instead, hime-chan ran her hand over the top of his head, murmuring soothingly to him. It hurt like hell, and dog-shaped or not, Sohma Shigure wasn't above accepting solace when he was in pain. When her fingers trailed upwards to scratch lightly at the base of his ears, Shigure closed his eyes and rested his head on her stomach with a sigh that sounded doglike enough.

"He seems rather attached to you," Sho said, sounding vaguely amused.

Her fingers hesitated briefly. "Do you think so?" She sounded dubious.

The doctor shrugged. "Well, he's obviously looking to you for comfort."

Hime-chan chuckled softly. "Well, he seems to know I'll give it to him."

After a few minutes, the vet rocked back on his heels and regarded Akemi as she continued to pet the Dog. "The worst of the swelling is starting to go down, and he seems to be coming along fine. He won't be jumping through hoops any time soon--"

Shigure gave a mental snort. _If ever._

"--but you really didn't need to worry. Whatever you've been doing, it's working. Really, he just needs to rest and keep his strength up until someone comes to claim him. Have you had a chance to put up any notices?"

Akemi was huddled beneath the blankets. "No. I'd planned on hanging flyers tomor--"

"Do you have them?"

She blinked, her mouth working silently for a second or two. "...Yes."

"Give them to me. I'll put some up around here on my way home, and I'll circulate some at the clinic."

"Sho-kun, you don't have to--"

"Akemi--"

But she shook her head, cutting him off. "I'm perfectly capab--"

"_Akemi,_" he said again, his tone firm. Hime-chan's mouth snapped shut and she blinked. "Let me help, all right? You're sick. Please stop trying to deny that -- you _are._" A long, heavy silence passed before she let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping when Sho said, "Once the notices go up, give it a few days. Someone's going to claim him, and then you can get things back to normal. I imagine they're pretty upside-down at the moment."

"It... hasn't been that bad. Honestly."

"You're sure you're up to it with the flu you don't have?"

"...I'm sure I'm 'up to it,'" she said primly, "because I'm perfectly fine."

Several seconds of silence passed, and it was enough to make Shigure pry open one eye and regard the vet. "You know, Akemi... a space opened up at the clinic."

"...A space? Do you mean... a space in the kennel?" Sho nodded, and she frowned. "I don't know..."

"We have a kennel run for the larger dogs. Granted, right now he doesn't need much space to move around, but if you're sick, you should rest. Taking care of an injured animal isn't what most would call restful."

Shigure remained very still during this exchange. Hime-chan's hand had never ceased in its soothing ministrations, but a knot of worry was settling in his gut. He glanced up at her face to try and read her expression, but all he saw was fatigue and concern. She gnawed lightly on her lower lip before finally answering him. "No, Sho-kun, I don't think so. He really isn't much trouble, and he's been cleaning up my leftovers."

"Are you sure?" he asked. Hime-chan nodded and he tucked his hands in his pockets. "Well, like I said, if he gets to be too much..."

"I know, I know -- if he gets to be too much, I'll call you."

Arching an eyebrow at her, he said, "You'd better."

"I _will._ I promise."

"All right." Taking in a breath and blowing it out, the vet looked down at Shigure. "Well, that's about it -- he's on the mend, and whatever you've been doing, keep doing it. You said you'd been giving him leftovers -- what about dog food?"

Shifting a little and avoiding the vet's gaze, Akemi replied, "I... didn't think to get any."

He sighed deeply. "It's not _bad_ to give him scraps, but... I'll tell you what. I'll drop by tomorrow with some dry food for him. You can add some leftovers to that and he should be fine."

Shigure sent the other man a look. _Fine? You've got an odd definition of "fine," Sho-kun. Isn't it bad enough that I've got to use the backyard as my lavatory? Now you're trying to ruin my meals, too?_

"All right -- I should get home before it gets much later." But when Akemi eased Shigure's head off of her stomach and started to push the covers back, Sho pointed at her. "Stay," he said, firmly.

Akemi stared at him. Shigure struggled to contain a rich snicker by burying his face in her lap. _Hime-chan, one of these days you're going to have to explain to me why you're not with Sho-kun, here. I bet _he_ wouldn't have run over a dog._

"Sorry," Sho said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Force of habit, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, well if you want me to roll over, that's extra."

He grinned at her. "Somehow, I don't think Hikari would appreciate that."

With a sympathetic wince, Akemi asked, "How's she doing these days?"

"Morning sickness," he said, shaking his head. "Enough so that she's told me more than once that she's never going through this again."

"Oh, just wait 'til the labor pains start." When he winced, she chuckled. "I may have to offer you sanctuary, ne?"

"I may have to check myself into the kennel. Anyway..." He reached down and mussed her bangs, then gave Shigure a quick rub across his head. "Why don't you get some sleep? I can let myself out."

Reaching out, Akemi tapped fingers against the cover of the novel resting on her nightstand. "I'll probably just read a little."

"Read, then."

She nodded and shot him an angelic smile. "I will. I will read and rest and drink plenty of fluids and I promise to call if things get to be too much. All right?"

"All right. Keep me posted," he said, tapping the cell phone clipped to his belt.

"Of course." She was still smiling. In fact, she kept smiling until Sho left the room. And she stayed in bed until she heard him leave the house. Once she was sure she was alone, Shigure was completely unsurprised when she pushed the covers back and got out of bed. "Stay, Kuroi," she said, giving him a quick pat on the head and leaving the room.

_Oh, I'll stay all right. And so will you, Akemi-hime._

* * *

Rolling her shoulders, Akemi made her way down the corridor to her small office area. She had every intention of resting, and maybe sending out for some food, once her appetite returned, but her last trip out of bed had revealed a slew of panicked emails from a co-worker. She hadn't planned on _working_ on her day off, but it was a small issue with one of her designs, and easy enough to fix. _Besides,_ she thought, taking a seat at her desk, _if I do it now, I won't have to worry about it tomorrow._

She'd barely opened up her graphics program when Kuroi started up. He let out a long, mournful whine that carried from the bedroom to the office -- indeed, throughout the small house. A brief pause followed, and soon the silence was filled with another whine. Akemi frowned, tapping her finger against the keyboard. _He'll settle down in a second._

But the stray didn't settle down. If anything, the whining got louder, and was peppered with pathetic whimperings. She waited for a while longer, still expecting Kuroi to calm down, but it didn't seem to happen. Finally, Akemi pushed herself to her feet and went back to the bedroom; by the time she reached the bedside, she'd broken out into a light sweat and was winded.

"What's the matter, Kuroi-chan, hmm?" she asked, touching his nose lightly -- it was still a little dry and warm. After a second or two, she sat on the bed, resting her hand on his head, her thumb rubbing his muzzle before sliding up to the sensitive spot between his eyes. The dog shifted clumsily, wriggling over and resting his heavy dark head in Akemi's lap. Sighing, she leaned back, resting against the pillows, running her hand between Kuroi's ears, down to the back of his neck.

"Oh, it wasn't _that_ traumatic," she said when Kuroi let out another whine. "He didn't even take your temperature -- he's told me how well _that _goes." Here, she frowned. "I'm lucky he didn't try to take _mine._"

After a few moments of petting, Kuroi closed his eyes and began to settle down. When his breathing slowed down, she slipped his head off of her thigh and began moving off the bed. Immediately, he lifted his head up and looked at her, letting out another long, pleading whine.

Akemi was at a loss. Sighing, she regarded the large black dog laying on top of the mussed blankets. _Figures he'd start acting up after Sho-kun _left. _Hungry? No, he ate not too long ago. Maybe he's just uncomfortable -- it's about time for his meds._ Coming to this conclusion, Akemi turned and left the bedroom, the sound of Kuroi's whines and whimpers following her as she walked to the kitchen. She tucked one of the pills into a piece of pork and returned to Kuroi's side, the offering in her palm.

"Here you go, sweetheart," she murmured, holding the meat out for the dog to sniff, which he did -- and take, which he also did.

But, somehow, as he was chewing the piece of pork, the little white pill fell out, landing on the bedspread, between the dog's dark paws.

"...Dammit." With that, she got up again, shuffled back to the kitchen, and returned with the pill hidden inside another piece of meat. Again, Kuroi took it happily.

And, again, the pill got spat out.

"..._Dammit._" By this point, she was feeling winded, and it felt as if she'd started to break out into a sweat. When Kuroi whined again, her reply was nearly a snap. "Well if you'd take your pill, you'd stop _hurting._"

The tragic, wounded gaze he gave her made Akemi throw up her hands. "I give up," she muttered, tossing the damp, half-dissolved pill into the wastebasket before fairly collapsing on the bed. Kuroi was soon nuzzling her cheek and panting happily. Lifting her head, she shot him an exhausted glare. "If I didn't know better, mutt, I'd think this was what you were angling for the whole time. Did Sho-kun put you up to this, you little brat?" she asked with a yawn, settling on her side and pulling up the blankets.

Kuroi's only reply was his tail thumping against the bed.

"Don't be smug."

After a few moments under the blankets, Akemi's limbs felt as if they'd been inundated with a deep chill, despite the heat flaring across her skin. With a shiver, she huddled further under the blankets. _Stupid flu. Damn Sho anyway,_ she thought darkly. _Isn't he _ever_ wrong?_

A few minutes passed -- the shivering subsided and returned, then subsided and returned again. Where before she'd felt nominally human, Akemi now felt beaten and worn, her body unable to decide between "too hot" and "too cold." She wasn't hungry enough to eat, and even if she were, she couldn't bring herself to leave her bed. What she wanted was some tea -- something hot and soothing and fragrant that would help clear away the cloudy muck that was filling her head. Taka had been due to get back into town late the previous night; he hadn't called yet, which worried her a little, and her own phone was probably still damp with dog slobber. _Honestly, of all the things to chew on, he picks my phone. Animals._ At the moment, she barely had the energy to lift her head and _find_ where she'd her phone, so calling Taka and asking him to come by was certainly out of the question for now. _Sleep first. Phone later._

Movement on the mattress made her pry open her eyes -- Kuroi was moving around, his head poking under the blankets.

"Kuroi?" she asked, running a sleepy hand through her hair. "C'mon, just settle down, inu-chan." The dog didn't stop its odd wriggling until it was completely under the blankets. After nosing his head out from under the covers, Kuroi curled up close to her, rested his head on the pillow, and closed his eyes. The extra warmth under the blankets gradually eased away Akemi's shivers, and she soon plunged into deep, dreamless slumber.

* * *

Hours later, Shigure woke. Hime-chan was still sleeping soundly; her exhales puffed out against one of his ears, making it flick reflexively. He still wasn't quite sure why he'd crawled under the covers with her -- a thank-you for not ditching him at the kennel, perhaps -- but it had stopped the shivering. At least now, if nothing else, his benefactress was getting some needed rest.

There was, of course, the small matter of the pill he'd refused earlier. At this point, he wasn't sure which would keep him in his canine form longer -- dealing with the discomfort, or allowing himself to be doped into bliss. Illness, physical weakness -- those caused a Juunishi to transform, but the painkillers weren't making him _stronger_, certainly -- just numbing his aches. _Hmm. To be safe, I'll get Akemi-hime to give me one the next time she wakes up,_ he decided, huddling back against the bedding and letting sleep claim him.

In the Dog's dreams, an onigiri fluttered about, wearing an apron of all things, bringing him medicine and bowl after bowl of soba.


	10. Chapter 9: Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever

A Bump in the Road: Chapter Nine

A/N: So much love and thanks goes to Aoi for her beta of this chapter, especially from Niamh, who is particularly thankful none of her blood was spilt in the process.

Also, because the manga is winding down in Japan, we both think it's necessary to remind everyone that this story was originally conceived about two years ago, and while we've made every effort to stay as canonically true as possible, things are, obviously, going to branch off and change. Yes, we realize that the characters (one in particular) as they are NOW, in the most current manga chapters, have developed beyond what they were when we started this. Just remember: Akito is our villain. We warned you about this a long time ago, and it's not changing.

Chapter Nine: Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever

_Friendship is constant in all other things save in the office and affairs of love.  
_Much Ado About Nothing, II.i

As promised, Sho-san returned with dog food, though much earlier than Shigure had expected. He also brought a slender woman with a pleasant face and long hair plaited back in a thick braid. Akemi opened the door and both of them came in, carrying grocery bags, though the woman's bag was perceptibly lighter. Shigure took one look at her middle, her loose shirt hiding a bulge barely-there enough to be noticeable, and deduced that this was Hikari-san. She slipped out of her shoes and made a beeline for the kitchen, where she began unloading her bag, Sho close on her heels.

"I don't know what he was thinking," she said, casting a playfully stern look at her husband. "He came home and said your dog was fine--"

"He's not my dog, Hi-chan."

"--and then he told me that _you_ had the _flu._ 'So did you get her any soup?' I asked, and then he said he _hadn't_, and, honestly 'Kemi-chan, I don't know what he was thinking. _Have_ you eaten? You don't look like you have." She narrowed her eyes at Akemi and thrust her hand out, pressing her palm against Akemi's forehead. After a moment, she clucked her tongue and shook her head. "And you have a _fever._"

Akemi shifted her weight awkwardly. "Ah... yes. Yeah. I... I'd noticed. But I'm doing much bet--"

"Well, get back to _bed_!"

She blinked once. "But I had to answer the do--"

"Now!"

Akemi looked at the vet, who shrugged. "If you're thinking about arguing with a burgeoning maternal instinct, you're braver than I am." At that point, Hikari, who had been setting about to warm up a container of what Shigure deduced to be soup, whapped him with a wooden spoon. "Uh oh, she's feeling violent," he said, grinning down at his wife. "Better do as she says, 'Kemi."

But Akemi only peered at the pan Hikari was stirring on the stove. "Is that _homemade_ miso soup?"

The other woman beamed and nodded before holding up another container. "And I made you some Tom Yum Goong, too."

From the wattage of Akemi's smile, Shigure deduced that hime-chan was something of a fan of Thai food. "Tom Yum Goong?"

"With extra prawns," Hikari said, nodding; Akemi's smile widened. "No egg drop soup, this time."

_Why not?_ Shigure wondered, watching Hikari-san with interest._ I could certainly go for some egg drop soup, considering this morning's breakfast was so sub-par. Ooh, that miso soup smells homemade. I wonder if I could persuade hime-chan to share--_

Akemi laughed, interrupting his train of thought. "I'm already sick enough. I don't need to break out into hives on top of everything else."

The Dog blinked once. _Hives?_ He tilted his head. That didn't make any sense -- hime-chan had put eggs in his meals. _Why keep a food on hand that makes you miserable and itchy?_ Idly, he wondered if he'd eaten the eggs usually reserved for Taka-san. He hoped so.

"Sick? I thought you were _fine_," Sho riposted from the corner of the kitchen. Shigure hid his smirk. He was quite liking her veterinarian friend, despite the fact that he was, after all, a _veterinarian._

Akemi shot Sho a glare that wanted -- and tried -- to be indignant, but failed. Shigure didn't bother concealing his doggy grin, and after several seconds of floundering silence, his hime-chan finally managed a weak, "Oh, shut up," before turning and shuffling back to her bedroom.

The Dog started to follow, but cast a glance at the couple in the kitchen and decided to stay there for a while longer. It was possible he could learn a little something about hime-chan; failing that, he might have been able to find out whether or not Sho had had ample opportunity to post the flyers Akemi had printed. Yawning, he lowered himself down carefully and stretched out on the floor, resting his head between his paws as he watched Akemi's friends (at least he assumed they were her friends; he supposed they could have been family, but if she was related to Sho _or _Hikari, Shigure saw no resemblance).

In the distance, hime-chan's shuffling footsteps stopped and returned. "Kuroi?" Shigure yawned again and looked up at her, his dark eyes mild. "C'mon, Kuroi-chan. Let's go back to bed." But the Dog didn't move.

"Maybe he wants to make sure we don't steal all your cookies," Hikari said with a grin. Shigure's ears pricked at the word "cookies," and the pregnant woman laughed. "Yes, yes -- that's got to be it. Kuroi-san is guarding your kitchen, 'Kemi-chan!"

Chuckling, Sho nodded in the direction of the hallway. "He'll be fine out here, Akemi. Get some rest."

But Akemi looked dubious. "He won't be underfoot?"

Sho shook his head and glanced down at Shigure. "Of course not. I told you -- he'll be fine."

Akemi, though she looked like she wanted to argue the point, gave the group one last look before turning and making her way back to her bedroom. Shigure's ears caught the faint rustling of bed linens as she settled back in bed. He stretched, the picture of canine nonchalance, and watched the couple move around the kitchen. He was nearly put to sleep by the gentle patter as Hikari stirred the soup while Sho pulled a bowl down from a cabinet. There was no hesitation in their movements. _Interesting,_ he thought, watching them. _Whatever they are to her, they sure know their way around her kitchen._

"Oh, no, Sho," Hikari said suddenly. Shigure lifted his head. The vet was holding a tin, spooning tea into a tetsubin basket. "Not the black tea, love. Make her the green. Black will just keep her awake."

Sho nodded and put the tin back on the shelf, moving around a few containers before saying to his wife, "She has green, jasmine, and..." he frowned at the label. "What is this, lemon verbena? Which do you think?"

"I think the lemon will help her feel better; she _sounds_ awful."

"Lemon verbena it is, then." There was a pause. "What exactly is 'verbena,' anyway?"

"Lemon verbena is an herb, darling," Hikari replied with a faint smile. "I believe it's supposed to be good for stress." She drew her eyebrows together into a tiny, thoughtful frown. "And I seem to recall reading somewhere it's good for fevers, so yes, definitely make some for her."

"Speaking of stress," Sho murmured, "do you suppose he's been by yet?"

"Taka?" Sho nodded and Hikari frowned and didn't say anything for several seconds. "Well, let's put it this way -- if he hasn't, all I can say is that he'd _better _have been working."

"Come on, Hikari..."

"Oh, don't start that, Sho." She lowered her voice; clearly this was a conversation they'd had before.

"I don't like him either, and Akemi knows that. But if she loves him..." He trailed off as Hikari rolled her eyes. "It's not our business, Hikari."

Sighing, she leaned against the counter. "But she's our friend. And he's..." She trailed off, making a face.

"Yes, he is." He sighed. "Listen, Akemi knows why we both put up with him. This isn't about whether we like him or not; it's about whether Akemi _loves _him. And she does. Conversation over."

Hikari pursed her lips and exhaled hard through her nose. "You've seen the way he acts. Didn't you see him when we went to dinner last week? I still can't believe he was eyeing that waitress with Akemi sitting _right there._ And I still can't believe she didn't notice."

"You're assuming she didn't."

"Sho, please. I love Akemi, but you have to admit that she's a little..." She hesitated, fidgeting with the spoon. "She's too straightforward. And she trusts him."

Shigure grimaced. _Oh, that's a bad combination._

"And," Hikari continued, "_because_ she trusts him, she's not going to look for him to be doing anything wrong. She won't see it unless he thrusts it right under her nose. Until then, what do we do?"

"What do you mean, 'what do we do'? We're not doing anything. This isn't any of our business."

"But--"

"Hikari." Sho's tone came out somewhat sharp and he closed his eyes, blowing out a breath. "Please."

Several seconds passed. "All right," she finally said, picking up the plastic containers of soup.

Wordlessly, Sho went to the refrigerator and opened the door for Hikari, who moved to put the soup inside, but stopped short, blinking at the contents. "What's wrong?" Sho asked.

Shigure was curious as well and pushed himself to his feet, padding into the kitchen and peering around the pregnant woman's legs. Aside from a few plastic containers of leftovers, a collection of canned drinks ranging from soda to tea, and vegetables quickly on their way to wilting, the refrigerator was nearly bare.

"I guess she hasn't gone shopping in a few days," Sho observed quietly, shaking his head. "I know she said her little houseguest was helping clear out her leftovers, but this is ridiculous."

"I'd like to know what she was planning on eating," Hikari remarked dryly.

Shigure blinked in astonishment at the contents. _I'd like to know what she was planning on feeding _me!

"She probably doesn't have much appetite." Closing the door, Sho looked down at Hikari. "I'll tell you what. You stay here with her. Make sure she eats something and gets some rest. I'll go down to the market and pick up a few more things." With a glance at the counters, he surveyed the groceries they'd brought her. "I think she's going to need a little more than soup, juice, and crackers."

She nodded, moving to the stove and pouring the reheated miso soup into a bowl. "All right." Turning away from the stove, she started going through Akemi's cabinets, glancing at the contents. "She's awfully low on rice," she said, shaking the package pointedly. "And you might want to get her some noodle bowls -- something easy to cook. I doubt she'll feel up to it."

"I think she's 'awfully low' on just about everything," he replied with a grin. "Don't worry; I'll take care of it."

"Don't get anything that's going to be too difficult for her to make. Easy things. Mild foods. Fruits, vegetables -- things that are _good _for her."

"Hika-chan..."

She folded her arms and looked at him. "Don't 'Hika-chan' me. _You_ know animals. _I_ know people."

Sho gave her an affectionate, lopsided grin. "I was only going to say," he said, resting a hand on the faint swell at her stomach and rubbing lightly, "that I think by now I'm an _expert_ at picking out mild foods."

Shigure half-expected Hikari-san to hit him again with the wooden spoon, but she only shot him an indulgent smile and shook her head. "Get out of here."

Once he was gone, Shigure found himself considering Hikari, who was putting two pieces of bread in the toaster. If he'd been in his human form, he would have chatted her up with a healthy dose of charm, and in five minutes he would've learned all he ever needed or wanted to know about Taka-san and hime-chan. However, in his current shape, he didn't have it so easy. Granted, now he at least knew that neither of them were Taka-san's biggest fans. _I know I have _my_ reasons, but I hardly think Sho-san would be that indignant on a stray dog's behalf, animal lover or no._

He watched as Hikari put the bowl of steaming soup on a tray, and when the toast popped up, that went on the side. She fit the tetsubin and a teacup on as well before picking the whole thing up and making her way to hime-chan's bedroom. Shigure followed and was almost surprised to find that hime-chan had in fact gone back to bed. Her eyes were closed and she was curled up on her side, huddled under blankets. He glanced at Hikari, who very clearly didn't want to wake her. But hime-chan was in greater need of food than sleep, Shigure thought; she could always sleep after she ate, and the Dog hated to see a perfectly good meal go to waste. Thus, just as Hikari-san began to turn and leave, Shigure clambered onto the bed and thrust his cold nose against hime-chan's cheek.

"No, Kuroi-- don't!" Hikari hissed, almost dropping the tray.

But Akemi was already awake, blinking at Shigure, puzzled. His tail thumped the bed as he panted, tongue hanging out. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking at Hikari as if she couldn't quite figure out how she got in. Then her eyes went to the tray and she lit up in a smile. "Hikari-chan, you're an angel."

The other woman sent Shigure a reproachful look. "I had wanted to let you get some more sleep, but Kuroi-san here had other ideas." Shigure only panted, thumping his tail again. She sighed a little and shook her head before looking back at Akemi. "So, do you think you're up for a little food?" Akemi nodded and began rearranging her pillows, the better to lean against them. "When did you eat last?" Hikari asked, handing over the tray once Akemi was situated.

The patient shrugged feebly. "Dinner last night."

_Liar_, Shigure thought, glancing at Akemi. _You barely touched your dinner last night. _

"Ah, then maybe it's a good thing he woke you, ne? We don't want you starving to death on us."

She settled the tray in Akemi's lap and the latter took a deep, appreciative inhale. "This smells delicious."

Perching on the edge of the bed, Hikari replied, "I'm surprised you can tell, as stuffed up as you sound."

Picking up the spoon, she grinned. "If there's one thing I know, it's good miso soup."

"You're sweet, but I'm sure this is nothing compared to what Takashi-san brought when he stopped by," she said lightly, taking up the tetsubin and pouring out a cup of fragrant tea.

Shigure blinked and brought his head up with a jerk, but the pregnant woman's expression gave nothing away. _Hikari-san, you are sneakier than you look. I believe I am impressed._

Akemi's hand paused as she dipped her spoon into the soup -- the subtle stutter in her movements was almost unnoticeable. "Oh... he hasn't been by yet."

"No? Well, that's certainly strange."

Shigure sent the pregnant woman a wry look. _You don't believe that any more than I'm starting to._

The spoon paused again. "He's been out of town for a few days."

"I'm sure he'll be by soon," Hikari replied with a reassuring smile. "He's probably going frantic trying to get all sorts of little things squared away so he can come and nurse you back to health. How did his trip go?" Neither woman noticed that the dog on the bed had raised its eyebrow.

Hime-chan swallowed her mouthful of soup and was quiet for a second. "I'm not sure, actually. I haven't talked to him since he got home." She shrugged. "I'm not even sure if he _is_ home. So if he isn't, that's probably a good reason why he hasn't had a chance to stop by."

_Or call,_ Shigure added silently.

"That's probably it," the other woman said with a reassuring smile as she dropped the subject. Shigure wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but hime-chan seemed to relax slightly when she realized that Hikari-san wasn't going to mention Taka-san again. He started to wonder if perhaps Akemi's friends weren't giving her enough credit. Being straightforward was one thing; being naïve was something else entirely. And from what Shigure had seen, hime-chan didn't seem to be entirely blind to her betrothed's bad habits -- particularly his less-than-stellar driving skills.

What she _did_ seem to be was willing to ignore them. The Dog gave a mental shrug. _Whatever helps her sleep at night, I suppose._

The two women talked for a while about people and things that meant nothing to Shigure, and he eventually settled in for a nap, dozing in and out of the conversation. Akemi finished her meal, and there was a light clatter of dishes as Hikari took the tray away. While she was gone, Akemi lay back against the pillows, blowing out a deep sigh.

It wasn't long before Hikari-san returned with more tea and reclaimed her seat on the edge of the bed. "So, how's the wedding planning coming along?" Shigure's ear twitched and he opened one eye in time to see Akemi twist her features up into a comical grimace.

"That good, eh?" Hikari observed dryly, bringing her hand to the Dog's head and petting slowly.

"Mama's being... well, you know how she can be." Her lips twitched as she fought to keep her expression neutral, but there was laughter in her voice. "She thinks I still have feelings for Sho."

Hikari arched an amused eyebrow. "Does she now?"

"Yes. And that any reluctance I'm experiencing has to do with repressed something-or-others over the one I let get away."

"At the risk of sounding monstrously selfish, I'm glad you tossed him back."

She picked up her teacup, sipping. "Sometimes you just know when a thing isn't right."

There was a slight hesitation before Hikari spoke again. "And... what about Takashi?"

Shigure looked quickly at Hikari. _So much for not bringing it up to her, hmm?_

The cup remained at Akemi's lips for a moment. "Taka's a good man. I know he can be a little..." Rather than supply an adjective -- and Shigure's mind was full of them -- she made a face, a rueful grimace. "He can be a little... difficult at times, but he's a good man."

Hikari lifted her shoulders in a vague shrug. "You know what they say: the course of true love never did run smooth. There are going to be difficulties, right?"

Akemi gestured with the cup before taking another sip. "Sure, except for in your case."

"Well, Sho was so very distraught after you--"

"Oh, _stop,_" she said, laughing and nearly choking on the tea.

The man in question appeared in the doorway. "Sho was so very distraught after Akemi did _what?_"

"Cruelly and ruthlessly broke your heart," Hikari sniffed.

"Right, because 'cruel' and 'ruthless' are exactly the first words that come to mind when we're talking about Akemi." He looked at hime-chan, who still held her teacup in her hands. "Good news -- the larder is... well, more stocked than it _was,_ which isn't saying much, but you won't be dying of starvation anytime soon."

Akemi blinked. "... What?"

Shigure glanced up as Hikari stopped stroking his head long enough to make a noncommittal gesture. "Oh, we noticed you were a little low on groceries, so I sent Sho to the market for you. You're obviously in no shape to go yourself."

Akemi didn't say anything for several seconds, still blinking in disbelief at her friends. "You didn't have to do that."

Sho leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest and snorting a little. "And what _were_ you going to eat?"

"We didn't mind, 'Kemi-chan. Just get some rest and get better, all right? Do you want us to take Kuroi home with us so you can sleep a little?"

Akemi turned her attention back to her soup and shook her head slowly. "No, that's all right. Thanks, though. He's no trouble, really. I think he'll sleep as much as I will."

"Which reminds me -- I posted some of those flyers for you."

"Already?"

He shrugged. "I didn't see any reason to put it off. The poor guy's been away from his family since, what, Thursday? His owners are probably going crazy. I'll see if I can circulate some to the other clinics in the city as well. I know a few people down at the animal shelters, too."

Akemi smiled, but Shigure wondered if he saw the slightest hesitation in her smile. "Thanks. I... _really_ appreciate this -- all of this," she added.

"Well, Sho said you weren't feeling well and that you looked _horrible_--"

"I didn't say 'horrible,' Hikari."

But she went on, cheerfully ignoring Sho's comment. "So what else would we have done?"

"Well... thanks." Akemi's smile faltered a little, growing slightly sad, though Shigure couldn't quite understand why. Whatever it was, though, Sho-san saw it too.

"Hikari," he said, coming forward and putting a hand on his wife's shoulder, "I think maybe we should let Akemi alone to finish eating and catch a little sleep."

"Are you sure? I..."

Her words trailed off and Shigure saw a look pass between them -- a quick conversation, conveyed solely by facial expression and eye contact. Hime-chan didn't notice -- she was too busy concentrating on her tea.

"You know, I think you're right. 'Kemi-chan, you'll call me if you need anything?"

"Hmm... what? Oh, sure." Another smile, not entirely convincing.

"We'll let ourselves out, Akemi," Sho said, reaching over and mussing her dark hair. "I left the dog food on the counter. Sleep, okay?"

Still smiling, Akemi nodded and watched as the couple left her room, quietly closing the door behind them. After a few seconds, Shigure heard the front door open and close as well.

Blowing out a breath, Shigure closed his eyes and settled against the blankets. _You have good friends, hime-chan. That Hikari, though. Better watch out for her. I bet she stole poor Sho right out from under your nose without you even realizing it. But he seems content enough, and he's not watching you with the fire of longing in his eyes, so maybe it's for the best. _He thought briefly of Ha-san and Mayu, wondering for a moment how things would have turned out differently _there_, had Mayu taken his advice and tried to steal Ha-san away from Kana.

But she hadn't. In fact, she'd looked repulsed at the idea, which had intrigued Shigure, even at the time.

_Ah, Mayu-chan. If you only knew._ He snorted a quiet almost-chuckle. _Better for me that you don't. I don't think Ha-san would hold you back, and I've got enough injuries at the mom--_

A soft sound made him look up. Hime-chan was... crying?

Tears gathered in her eyes before welling over and trailing slowly down either side of her face, and aside from the occasional sniffle, she was silent as she finished her tea.

The Dog watched, perplexed. He wracked his brain, trying to think of anything that had happened to bring Akemi to tears, but that was the thing with so many women -- sometimes they cried because they were happy, and sometimes it was because they _weren't_ happy. He was almost sure that these weren't happy tears hime-chan was shedding. Perhaps she _was_ still in love with Sho-san -- that would've explained it. He shook his head slowly. _No, I'm almost certain she isn't. If there was anything there once, they've both moved on. It's a pity; Hikari-san is cute, but hime-chan looks like she would've been a better match for him._

Unfortunately, no explanation came. When she was done with her tea, she picked up the tray and set it on the floor next to the bed. Then she rolled over and curled up on her side, pulling the blankets up to her chin and closing her eyes. Shigure felt a surge of irritation at the situation -- he hadn't the foggiest idea why she was crying or how to get her to stop, and the whole thing would've been a whole lot less annoying if he could just _say something_. Under normal circumstances, with adequate _verbal skills,_ it was just as easy for him to get a woman to stop crying as it was to make her cry in the first place.

Perversely, he found himself missing the patented predictability of Akito's rages -- he knew how to start them and how to stop them, and did both without missing a beat. The only thing he could do _now _was nudge Akemi's damp cheek with his nose and let out a soft whine, deep in the back of his throat.

Akemi didn't open her eyes, but she lifted her hand, sliding it up his muzzle and across his head, coming to rest just between his ears. Her thumb rubbed the sensitive spot between his eyes, and soon he exhaled deeply. _Hime-chan isn't the only one who needs to get some sleep around here._

He settled in, shifting only slightly until he was curled comfortably against the nest of blankets and pillows. Hime-chan continued to pet him, tears creeping out from behind her closed lids until her pillow was damp. Gradually the hand atop his head slowed and soon stopped, as did her tears, when Akemi's breathing slowed and deepened. Shigure stayed awake for a short while after that, watching his benefactress sleep. Her eyes began moving behind her lids and he blew out a breath, speaking softly.

"So which is it? You didn't seem to mind too much that your friends wanted to take care of you, so it's not that you hate people fussing over you. And I'm almost positive you're not still nursing tender feelings for Sho-san. What makes a hime-chan cry herself to sleep."

She didn't reply; as she dreamed, her fingers twitched.

"Or maybe it's not one thing _or _the other, hmm? Your friends -- correction, your ex-boyfriend and the woman who stole him away from you -- take more of an interest in your health and well-being than your fiancé. So _they're_ here and _he's _not, and still you defend him to your friends." Sighing, he rolled his eyes. "What's it going to take for you to get some backbone, eh?"

The only answer he received was a soft mutter as she burrowed deeper into the bedding. With a soft snort, Shigure leaned forward, touching his nose to her forehead again. She was still feverish, and he shook his head. "Honestly. All of that soup and tea, and you didn't even bother to take any medicine for your fever. Foolish hime-chan. You'd never make it as a Juunishi, would you?"

Again, she didn't reply. He didn't expect her to.

XxXxX

Hatori leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and pressing his fingers against his lids. Shigure had gone missing Thursday -- gone three days now, and no sign of him. There was, of course, good news: no one matching Shigure's human description had shown up in any nearby hospitals, morgues, or jails. And after a great many phone calls, and a great deal of leg-work, it was nearly confirmed that no dog matching Shigure's canine description had been destroyed recently. There were some dogs matching his description in a few scattered shelters, but none of them turned out to be Shigure.

He pushed himself out of his chair and padded out to the engawa, withdrawing cigarettes and a lighter out of his pocket. He toyed a moment with the lighter before lighting the cigarette and taking a deep draw on it. It was looking less likely that Shigure was dead, and more likely that he was... stuck somewhere, in his Juunishi form, which introduced its own set of difficulties, to be sure.

Keeping their God sedated and ignorant was still his top priority. The spirit inside him balked at the decision, fighting him every step of the way -- but Hatori was convinced that it was better _for_ Akito in the long run if the details of Shigure's situation were kept from her. It was the kinder thing to do. And if she found out the truth, that he'd been helping to keep it from her... well, the ramifications wouldn't be pleasant, which gave him all the more reason to work at keeping her unaware. He also needed to ring Mayuko and see if she'd heard from any of the clinics she'd called. Momiji, Hatsuharu, Kyou, Yuki -- all of them had experienced similar results. He could only hope that Mayu had better luck than the rest of them. And then, after he spoke with her, Hatori had to choose a plan of action.

It was a novel situation for him -- he was more accustomed to following directions. He was told whose memories to suppress (and if he wasn't told, he was bound by honor to do it anyway, something he'd been rather remiss in lately). Shigure was active -- Shigure, for all of his faults (oh, and there were plenty), _did_ things. And right now, the Dragon couldn't wait for the Dog to return so he could get back to doing things, allowing Hatori to slide back into his role.

It couldn't happen soon enough.


	11. Chapter 10: Wolf at the Door

Chapter Ten: Wolf at the Door

A/N: Another chapter after too long a break – we're both very sorry, but it just couldn't be helped. There were holidays, illnesses (ourselves and others), various drama and angst and I think both of us started new jobs since the last chapter. We're thankful for anyone who's still reading, and we're likewise thankful that Aoi is STILL our beta, despite our snail-like pace.

_O, what may man within him hide, though angel on the outward side!_

Measure for Measure, III ii

Shigure rolled over, only to awake with a jolt against a warm figure next to him. _Wh... oh. Hime-chan_. He nudged her gently, brushing her arm with his nose. _Feels a little less warm. Hopefully her fever's gone down. As for me, I'm thirsty._ He climbed off the bed, careful not to jostle her. _Let's see... I think they remembered to fill my water dish before they left._ The Dog paused in the doorway, letting out a soft, humorless laugh. _My water dish. How the mighty have fallen._

He limped through the living room, heading for the kitchen. _Or have I, really? Sleeping with the fair princess, keeping her distracted from my true nature, taking scraps from her table... _His claws clicked lightly on the tile of the kitchen floor. _Of course, hime-chan isn't as _complex _as Akito._ "For which I'm profoundly thankful," Shigure muttered, lowering himself to the dish. It was charmingly misshapen, evidently the lopsided result of some amateur attempt at pottery, but it had water, and that was all that mattered.

Likewise careless of appearances, he lay down, taking his weight off his wrist, and leaned over, lapping up cool water as he closed his eyes and thought for a bit. Sho-san was posting hime-chan's flyers, and for that Shigure was unendingly grateful, because it was one less thing for him to worry about. Right now, all he really had to concentrate on was not transforming, and his injuries were doing a fine job of that, certainly. It probably didn't hurt that hime-chan had taken to sleeping curled up against his back, which had to be playing some sort of role in keeping him dog-shaped. _And the longer she's sick, the more she'll sleep – the more she sleeps, the better my chances are for staying like this._

"I may just get out of this yet," he mused aloud, pushing himself to his feet and limping out of the kitchen. As he took ginger steps back to the bedroom, a soft, muted sound – like footsteps – caught his ears, which pricked up and swiveled to his left. Curious, Shigure turned and walked back to the living room.

Someone was at the door. He could hear movement and a muffled jingling before the sound of a key scratching in the lock. It couldn't have been Sho or Hikari – neither of them had keys to hime-chan's house. _Her parents, maybe? I suppose that's possib—_

The door opened, and a man walked in, closing the door behind him and sliding out of his shoes. The Dog couldn't quite pin it down, but something about him set Shigure's teeth on edge. Maybe the way he was impeccably groomed, or the way he walked in like he owned the place – or even the way he smelled: of stale cigarette smoke (igniting a craving so strong, Shigure nearly twitched) and the thin, chemical scent of synthetic vanilla – cheap perfume. _Now, that's interesting,_ Shigure thought, sitting down and wondering just what kind of man hime-chan typically gave her house-key to. _He doesn't look old enough to be her father. A brother, perhaps?_ But there wasn't enough resemblance for that to be the case.

Much became clear when the new visitor turned and saw Shigure sitting placidly in the hallway. Watching him carefully, the Dog tilted his head in a perfect facsimile of canine inquisitiveness, panting and otherwise remaining entirely dog-like.

The newcomer's eyes widened, then narrowed as he clenched his jaw. "You've got to be fucking _kidding_ me. I _told_ her to leave it with—_dammit._ Akemi! _Akemi!_" he called out, crossing the living room on his way to hime-chan's bedroom.

_Nice to meet you, too. You must be Takashi-san,_ Shigure thought with a slight lift of his eyebrow. He watched as the mystery guest came forward, ostensibly on his way to hime-chan's bedroom – where hime-chan was supposed to be resting, so as to have enough strength to assemble a dinner better than breakfast had been. Besides, his benefactress had taken him off the road, gotten him medical attention, and had been keeping him warm, fed, and comfortably drugged for several days now.

The least he could do in return was let her sleep.

_I think you can wait until hime-chan wakes up on her own,_ he thought, looking up at Takashi and curling his lip in a snarl. Shigure was a little unnerved at how easily it came to him, this canine reflex, and he wasn't at all sure how foolish he looked doing it. He'd certainly never transformed in front of a mirror just to see how well he snarled.

Evidently, he didn't do too bad a job at it – Akemi-hime's gentleman caller had stopped in his tracks and was watching Shigure, wide-eyed. This pleased the Dog to no end, and he added a soft growl just for effect. When the visitor took a step back, Shigure relaxed his upper lip and let the growl die away in his throat.

_There. Now that we understand each other, let's sit down like civilized—_

"_Akemi!_ Akemi, god _damn_ it, _get out here!_" Takashi yelled, panic creeping into his voice, giving it a ragged edge.

Shigure bit back a curse. _Can't you shut up? _But short of pouncing on the idiot - which would not only require effort, but probably ruin hime-chan's carpets - he couldn't think of another way to encourage the man to be quiet. Besides, it was too late. The bedroom door slid open behind him, and he masked a curse with a short bark.

"Quiet, Kuroi." Hime-chan's voice was hoarse and tired, and Shigure caught himself cringing reflexively at having made her speak even that much. "Hi."

"I thought we'd agreed -- you look like hell."

Shigure lay down stiffly. _What a smooth talker._

"I'm sick." Akemi rubbed her forehead wearily. "I was sleeping."

Takashi frowned, all his irritation seeming to fall away. "Honey, why didn't you call me?"

"I did. Six times."

"That's funny, I didn't --" He slid his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. "How did I miss that?"

"Don't know." She winced a bit. "'m going back to bed."

Takashi stepped forward, and Shigure resisted the urge to nip at his ankle. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Akemi smiled at him gratefully. "Water?"

"Of course. And soup?"

"...Not hungry." Akemi shuffled back into the bedroom and closed the door. Takashi stayed in the hallway, staring at the door, then swore softly under his breath and started for the kitchen. Shigure followed, hoping to keep the man away from the bedroom long enough for hime-chan to fall back asleep.

He sat in the kitchen doorway, watching with bemusement as Takashi shrugged out of his suit coat and hung it on a chair, then fished out his cell phone and flipped it open, punching in a series of numbers and tucking it between his shoulder and his head. "Hi, baby." A pause. "No, we're taking a little break, and I'm getting a drink of water."

Shigure felt his jaw sag open when a feminine voice answered. _Did he just call another woman? From hime-chan's kitchen?_

Takashi filled the glass and leaned against the counter, listening to the woman's scolding tone on the other end of the line, smiling disdainfully. When he spoke, though, his voice was gentle. "I know, I'm sorry I had to break our plans too. But this was important." He drank from the glass. "Tell you what. If we get out early, I'll come over and you can have me all to yourself." He paused, then laughed softly. "Yes, I'll even turn off the phone."

Conciliatory noises. Shigure considered biting the man on the leg.

"Is that all right? Okay, good." He listened again. "Yes, I love you too. Bye." He put the glass down and closed the phone, sliding it back into his pocket. Takashi looked at Shigure and smirked. "Our little secret, hmmm? Man to man?"

_Che. Our little secret, nothing. I've juggled women myself, but I was _tasteful_ about it. If it wouldn't ruin my dignity beyond recall, I'd piss on that off-the-rack discount suit you're wearing._ Shigure lay down on the floor, watching him idly.

Takashi refilled the glass and walked towards the door. Shigure yawned elaborately. _I'm not moving for the likes of you._

"Come on." Takashi glared down at him. "Move, dammit."

Shigure lowered his head and rested it on his paws.

"Don't go to sleep, I said _move._" He prodded Shigure with his foot. Shigure swallowed a yelp and jerked as the side of Takashi's foot unerringly found a sore spot. He smiled grimly. "Well, that got your attention, at least." He stepped through the doorway and headed down the hall to hime-chan's bedroom.

Shigure lay still for a few moments, eyes clenched shut as pain that had been subsiding with several days' worth of rest came roaring back to the surface. He breathed slowly through his nose until the sharp throbs became bearable again. It was several minutes before Shigure was able to construct a coherent thought beyond the haze of pain and righteous anger that had flooded his mind.

He really, _really_ disliked Takashi.

He was torn between two urges: first, to hobble his way into hime-chan's bedroom and sink his teeth into the foot that had nudged painfully into his side. For one fleeting instant, human sensibilities were overwhelmed by long-suppressed canine instinct. Second, he wanted to curl up in a comfortable corner of the couch and ignore the bastard until he left.

Given those two, Shigure was almost surprised to find himself limping carefully down the hallway to hime-chan's closed bedroom door. He _really_ wanted to crawl onto the warm bed where he'd been sleeping, surround himself with a familiar scent and _sleep_. And part of him wouldn't have minded a gentle scratch behind the ears, either. Moving as stealthily as he could, he lay down by the door, carefully working a claw in and sliding the door open quietly.

When he saw Takashi on the bed, sitting in _his_ spot, Shigure caught himself swallowing another growl. Disgusted, he rested his head on his uninjured paw and closed his eyes._ He'll have to leave sooner or later, particularly if he's got _plans_. Honestly. Hime-chan, I thought you were smarter than this._

He'd been resting quietly a few moments when a snatch of conversation floated down, making Shigure's ears twitch again.

"Come on, Akemi-chan..." The rustle of bed linens, followed by the soft squeak of a protesting mattress.

"Taka, I'm tired. And I can't breathe. And I feel _awful._"

"I bet I've got what'll make you feel better."

"I haven't even brushed my _teeth_..." The mattress squeaked again.

"So, get up and brush your teeth. I'll keep the sheets warm."

_He isn't suggesting what I think he's suggesting._

"I have a fever, Taka. I don't feel like it."

"You know I can make you forget all about it, Akemi-chan." Shigure cracked one eye open in time to see Takashi run his hand up hime-chan's arm. She shifted on the bed, pulling her arm under the blankets and scooting away from him.

_Oh, my god. He _is._ You've got to be kidding me._

"I don't feel up to it, honey. My sinuses are killing me. I just want to sleep."

"You've been sleeping all _day._" Takashi's voice had taken on a wheedling tone, and Shigure felt the fur along the back of his neck bristle. "Come on, just a little quickie..."

The Dog rolled his eyes. _So much for something to make her "feel better."_

"Takashi." Hime-chan sounded tired, her patience stretched past all endurance. "Please."

_Stay out of it,_ Shigure told himself pushing himself up into a sitting position. _If she wants to marry this idiot, that's her problem; don't interfere. _But the desire to "interfere" was growing—

"Fine," he snapped, and the bed squeaked again as he stood. "Never mind; it doesn't matter. You obviously don't _want_ to. I've been gone all weekend; I just thought you'd want to spend some time with me."

—as was the urge to bite Takashi on the leg.

"Taka—"

"And what the hell is _this_?" A pause. "_Dog hair?_ Don't tell me you've been letting that animal sleep on your bed."

_Well, technically it should be _your_ bed I'm in, since _you_ were the one who hit me, but I just don't like you that much._

"...Okay, I won't tell you." She rubbed a hand over her face, pressing her palm against her forehead; Shigure wondered if her fever were coming back. It certainly made sense – Taka was certainly making _him_ feel ill, and he was perfectly healthy, injuries notwithstanding.

"Christ, Akemi – what were you thinking? He could have _fleas._"

That made Shigure look up, sharply. _I _beg_ your pardon? Fleas? I do not have fleas. Unless I picked them up from you, you cheating, groveling, puling, miserable --_

"Is that thing _growling?_"

He _was _growling, Shigure realized, and only sheer dogged reflex kept him from betraying that he could understand them by stopping.

"He's _not _a..." Akemi trailed off with a weary sigh and lifted her head to regard the Dog. "Kuroi, that's _enough._" Her tone was sharp despite – or because of – her fatigue, and Shigure clamped his jaws shut, sinking down to the floor, and resting his head between his paws. She drew in a deep breath and let it out before turning her attention to Takashi. "Can we not argue about this? I'm exhausted, my head hurts..."

Shigure could almost hear the clicking of the calculations being done in Takashi's head. In fact, he felt as if he could recite, perfectly, everything the other man was about to say. It took nearly all his concentration to keep his jaw from moving.

"I'm sorry. I'm being inconsiderate." Takashi sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I shouldn't ask you to strain yourself when you're not feeling well."

Akemi looked up at him. "I am sorry." She smiled ruefully. "I'm not much fun when I'm sick. You're right – you've been gone all weekend, and I have missed you..."

_I think I'm going to be sick, too._

Takashi ran a hand over hime-chan's head, combing his fingers through her bangs. "I know, and I missed you, too. I think I'm just a bit overtired myself."

"I can imagine – all those meetings." She reached up and touched his cheek. "Why don't you go home and get a little rest yourself? I'll be okay. I just need to sleep."

"Are you sure?"

Hime-chan nodded and leaned back to snuggle under the covers. "Sho and Hikari came by and brought me some soup. I'll be fine."

He smiled and brushed a kiss across her forehead. "Then why don't you work on getting better? I'll tell you what – once you're back to normal, why don't we take a trip to that onsen you wanted to stay at?"

She brightened. "The one in Kyoto?"

"The very same."

"I thought you'd be sick of Kyoto."

"Well, going there on business is one thing. Touring a beautiful city with my lovely fiancée is something else entirely."

_Yes, I'm definitely going to be sick._

Takashi left shortly thereafter, leaving a happily ignorant hime-chan behind to sleep. Shigure sat by the edge of the bed, glaring at the spot where the man had been sitting earlier. The sheets now smelled of cigarette smoke and fake vanilla; he wondered how Akemi could stand it. She was sprawled out, her head tilted back slightly on the pillow; her lips were parted as she breathed.

_She probably can't even smell it, all stuffed up like that. Lucky her._

Even so, the bed was still more comfortable than the floor, and with that thought firmly in mind, Shigure climbed onto the bed and curled up in what had become his customary spot. Hime-chan rolled onto her side and snuggled up behind Shigure; he felt the heat radiate off of her, soaking through his fur. On top of everything else, that ass had brought her fever back. He shook his head, yawning widely. "If you've got fleas in your bed, it's _his_ fault, not mine."

She didn't respond; he wasn't surprised.

_You're a fool if you marry him, hime-chan._

* * *

Hatsuharu looked at his list, then at the sign on the door. He'd had very little luck so far, finding the veterinary clinics slowly, with long, winding journeys between each new clinic. He was almost certain he'd started out with a map with the locations marked on it, but it had vanished, along with a wristband, his house keys, and his spare bike lock. Haru patted his pockets absently. _Think my student I.D.'s gone again too. Oh well._ He'd lost it frequently enough that the office at school had a stack of forms filled out ahead of time, and simply initialed a new one each time he showed up.

_No, I think it's this clinic. _He frowned. _If it's not, I can just say I found another one._ Haru pushed the door open and wrinkled his nose at the medical smell that met his nose. He ignored the way the people in the waiting room clutched their pets a little closer at seeing him and walked over to the receptionist. "Excuse me."

"Yes?" She looked up and blinked. "Oh. Hello. What can I do for you?"

Haru smiled at her, rolling his eyes mentally when her eyes glazed over slightly. "Hi. My family's dog went missing a few days ago, and I was wondering if he might've been brought here." He dug a slightly crumpled photo out of his hip pocket and passed it over. "That's him."

The receptionist stared at him for another second or two before jerking her eyes away and looking at the photo. "Oh, of course. I remember him. Kazuhaya-sensei's friend brought him in; her fiancée hit him with his car. It was horrible; he's a gorgeous dog."

Haru froze for a second, feeling panic and rage swirl inside him, pushing him closer to the Black edge. "Was he..."

"No, no." The receptionist passed the photo back. "He was fine. Just a little banged up. He went home with her to recover since we didn't have any room in the kennels."

He sagged in relief, sliding the photo back into his pocket. _I did _not _want to have to tell Hatori-nii that sensei died._ "Okay, so... do you have her number or something? We'd really like to get him back as soon as possible."

"The doctor brought in a poster that has her information. It's on the bulletin board over there." She nodded at a cheerfully decorated corkboard that had various notices pinned neatly to it.

Haru smiled at her one more time. "Thanks a lot."

She smiled back, hopeful. "Is there anything else I can do?"

He shook his head and went over to the board, scanning the flyers. Only one listed a large black dog, and he pulled it down, stuffing it in his pocket. _Now to go home and tell Hatori-nii the good news._ He would have called, but his cell phone (as well as the calling card Hatori-nii had given him, for reasons Haru didn't quite understand) had traveled the same path his student I.D. had, and . Haru opened the door, ignoring the disappointed sigh of the receptionist, and stepped out into the daylight, squinting a bit.

"...How did I get here, again?"


	12. Chapter 11: When the Cow Comes Home

Chapter Eleven: When the Cow Comes Home

AN: We're not dead! And, no, neither is the fic. It was just... in a coma for a while, that's all. :) Thanks to everyone who's asked about the fic, and who sent encouraging messages. They were greatly appreciated. 3

_An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told. _

--King Richard III. IV iv

* * *

"It was dumb to let Haru go off by himself," Kyou growled, glaring out into the foliage. He and Momiji were sitting on the engawa, both having crossed off every veterinary office and animal shelter on their list, with no sign of Shigure.

"I'm sure he's okay," the Rabbit said, swinging his legs idly off the side of the porch. "It's just his way. He'll be back any—"

"Any day now," Kyou retorted, rolling his eyes. "If we're lucky, he'll come back and remember why he left in the first place."

"He knows it's important, Kyou. I'm telling you, he'll be back."

"He'd better. We can't afford to be running _two_ search parties." He paused. "Then again, it's a hell of a lot harder for Haru to go missing in his other form." It was a lot easier to spot a cow than a dog, after all.

"I think you don't give him enough credit, Kyou," Momiji replied mildly, bracing his hands behind him and looking up at the sky. "He'll be back."

The door slid open and Yuki stepped out. "Haru's not back yet?"

Momiji glanced at his cousin, chuckling. "We were just talking about that."

Yuki crossed his arms and frowned, eyes fixing on a point in the mid-distance. "It probably wasn't a good idea to let him go by himself."

"You know, Kyou said the exact same—"

"To hell with this, I'm going up to the roof."

"Don't fall," Yuki said mildly, but the knowing look he shot the Cat said far more than his words or his tone possibly could.

"Screw you, nezumi."

"One of these days you'll have a better comeback."

"And if I'm lucky, you'll die from the shock." The shoji slammed shut and the rhythmic thumping of Kyou's irritated footfalls faded away as the Cat went upstairs.

"He's very worried," Momiji said quietly, once Kyou was gone.

Yuki didn't say anything for a moment. "We all are."

"Haru's done this before. He'll be back in no time"

"It's more important now, Momiji."

"I know that. And so does Haru," the Rabbit replied mildly.

Yuki sat, blowing out a breath. "We've never had to count on him like this before."

"We've never had to count on any of us like this before." Momiji said nothing for a beat, then glanced over. "How is Tohru doing?"

The Rat pursed his lips in thought. "She doesn't want any of us to worry, but I think she's taking it hardest of all. She's fond of that idiot dog."

"Ha'ri's worried too. But you know how he is; he's not going to tell anyone. He's lucky to have Mayu-chan-sensei.

* * *

The bookstore was quiet, which was a welcome change. Mayu sat at the front counter, the telephone wedged against her shoulder as she continued working her way down the list Hatori had given her. A tiny bell tinkled softly when the door opened, and when she looked up, she was met with the sight of the doctor, looking grave and, though she hadn't thought it possible, even _more_ worried. She silently cursed Sohma Shigure's name again, and hung up the phone.

"What happened?" she asked, moving around the counter to meet him.

"Hatsuharu's gone missing."

"_What?_"

Hatori sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "He hasn't checked in. No one's heard from him."

She reached up and took both of his hands in hers, threading their fingers and squeezing gently. "What is it with your family, Hatori-kun? Is this some twisted desire to see you go grey before you turn thirty?"

He gave her a tired smile and leaned forward until his forehead was resting against hers. They stood there quietly for a long moment. Hatori smelled of antiseptic soap and laundry detergent, with the scent of tobacco twining through it. "What do you need?" she asked, trying not to allow herself to be distracted by his warmth, and that scent.

"I need a second pair of eyes to go out with me to find him. We can cover more ground if I drive, but I can't watch the road and look for Hatsuharu."

"Do you know where he was supposed to be looking?"

"Fortunately, knowing Hatsuharu has given me some experience in this arena. I kept a copy of his list in the event something like this happened."

"You anticipated this?"

"It wouldn't be the first time Hatsuharu got lost. I only hope he hasn't wandered too far off the main streets."

"Which means we need to get a move on." She let go of his hands, brushing a light kiss across his lips before making her way to the door. "And on the way, you can convince me not to give him detention for this."

It was dark by the time they found Haru, whose white coat and white hair were visible from the road as he walked along the sidewalk.

"There. _There!_" Mayu cried, pointing as Haru came up on the car's driver's side. "Why you can't drive a normal car like everyone else, I have no idea."

Hatori slowed the car to a stop and rolled down the window. "Hatsuharu." But the boy had already turned, as if expecting his elder cousin to come looking for him.

"Hatori-nii."

"Get in the car, Hatsuharu. We've all been worried."

The boy did as he was told, climbing into the car's backseat without a word of argument. Hatori pulled away from the sidewalk, his relief evident in the way his shoulders relaxed slightly. Mayuko twisted around in the seat to regard the young man.

"What happened?" she asked, exasperated.

"Nothing," Haru replied mildly.

"Hatsuharu, everyone expected you back much sooner than this."

"My journey home took an unexpected turn."

"What you mean to say, Hatsuharu, is that you got lost."

"...You could put it that way, Hatori-nii."

The doctor sighed, and turned the car back towards Shigure's house. "Did you find anything?"

There was a contemplative pause. "Well, I found Sensei."

The brakes screeched suddenly, and Mayu's body was flung forward, stopped only by the seatbelt. Now Hatori twisted around in the seat to face his cousin. "You found Shigure?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"At the last clinic I visited. He'd been hit by a car." Hatori blanched and Mayuko reached for his hand instinctively. "But he's all right," Haru went on to say. "There wasn't room at the clinic for him, so he's staying with a friend of the vet's." As he spoke, he sifted through the contents of his pockets, diligently searching for something. "I have her number—"

Hatori's brows raised.

"—I had it here, somewhere." Rustling followed, then a long silence. "Huh. It's not here anymore."

"Do you remember which clinic it was?"

"The last one on my list."

Hatori flipped on the interior light and pulled a sheet of paper out of his jacket pocket. "All right. I'll call them in the morning. With any luck, we'll get Shigure back by tomorrow night."

* * *

Hime-chan was sleeping. She hadn't done much else after Takashi left. Just thinking of the man made Shigure's jaw clench, and he shook his head to clear it of the sudden cloud of annoyance.

"You're too nice, hime-chan," he murmured softly, watching as she rolled onto her side, facing him. Her face was damp with sweat and strands of hair were clinging to her cheeks and forehead. "That's your problem, you know. He's got your number, and he's going to walk all over you unless you put a stop to it." And that was only going to happen if she figured out she was engaged to a two-timing dirtbag.

_Or,_ he thought, now watching the slumbering hime-chan with a speculative eye, _when she finds out._ The question was, of course, how to reveal the philandering jerk without revealing _himself._ He found himself missing Ayame suddenly; Shigure preferred to handle situations like these with subtlety and finesse, but sometimes subtlety and finesse weren't enough.

Then again, there wasn't anything that said he had to act _now_. He could always wait until he was bipedal again and work his magic then. It wouldn't be hard at all to win hime-chan over with a hearty dose of Sohma charm, making Takashi look... well, as bad as he was in actuality. Shigure thought about it for a moment. It was a plan with merit; he could woo hime-chan away from Taka and then...

The Dog frowned. _And then what? _Shigure had his _own_ plans, after all, and hime-chan did not fit very well into any of them. Akito's face, twisted in rage, flashed through his mind and he winced. _I suppose I could just string her along for a while, and then let her down easily._ He frowned and lowered his head onto his paws. For some reason, that didn't sit well. _It's almost a pity Ha-san is working things out with Mayu-chan. He'd like hime-chan._

Picturing the tall doctor with the petite woman sat even less well, if possible.

Shigure let out a huff of breath. _Well, I don't need to decide what to do with hime-chan now._ He stood a better chance of vilifying Takashi if he possessed proper verbal skills to do it, since he was fairly certain giving in to canine instinct and biting the dirtbag wouldn't win Akemi over, no matter how much Taka deserved it. Besides, he probably tasted _awful._

Besides, Shigure wouldn't be able to brush his teeth afterwards.


	13. Chapter 12: Beware of Dog

Chapter Twelve: Beware of Dog

_That I should snarl, and bite, and play the dog._

~Henry VI, Part 3. V vi

A/N: HOLY COW A CHAPTER. Huge thanks go to Aoi, who has thankfully resumed her beta'ish duties with enthusiasm and only a few "It's about times."

Akemi awoke feeling disoriented and sluggish; after looking at her alarm clock and struggling with some very basic mental math, she was able to determine that she'd slept for nearly fifteen hours straight. The good news was that she felt somewhat better. Her eyes still burned against her lids, her head still pounded, and she had no desire and no plans on getting out of bed for any length of time. But she had something resembling an appetite. This was improvement.

Just then, a cold nose nuzzled her arm, and she pried open her eyes to see a dark head resting against the crook of her elbow. Kuroi was still quite asleep; his lids twitched as he dreamed. Shifting carefully onto her side, she slid her other hand across his smooth head, letting her thumb drift between his closed eyes. _We're quite a pair, aren't we?_ After a moment or two, the dog opened one eye, then the other; after blinking sleepily for a second or two, he curled closer, pressing his back against her body, and settled down again with a content groan that sounded almost human. She lay like that for a while, petting the dog and feeling her own eyelids grow heavy all over again.

Akemi knew she _needed_ to get up – she needed to take more aspirin, she needed to let Kuroi out (even if he appeared to have no interest in leaving the warmth of her bed), and she needed to feed him. She also needed to consider feeding herself.

"Okay, that's enough," she said, stretching and sitting up. The dog lifted his head, tilting it as he watched her. "You need to eat, _I_ need to eat, and your bladder has _got_ to be ready to burst by now."

Getting out of bed resulted in a slight wave of dizziness that passed quickly enough; after she and Kuroi had made visits to their respective lavatories, Akemi stood in the kitchen pondering lunch. She reheated some of the Tom Yum Goong Hikari brought, deciding to add some noodles to the spicy soup. As for Kuroi, Akemi found the dog food that Sho had provided and poured some into a bowl. She wrinkled her nose at the hard brown discs; they didn't look appetizing at all.

"He says it's good for you," she said by way of apology, setting the dish down. Kuroi sniffed at the bowl's contents, then looked up at her, his eyes doleful. The expression was an eloquent one, and she couldn't help but reply to it. "Just give it a try."

But Kuroi lowered himself to the floor, resting his head between his paws, and _looking_ at her.

"You know, I bet there are starving puppies in Africa who'd love to have a meal like this." She could almost imagine his reply, if the look on his face was anything to go by: _Then send it to them._ Akemi sighed, then sat cross-legged on the floor. "I know. It's gross. But I'm not supposed to keep feeding you scraps. It's bad for you. Here," she said, picking up one of the bits of kibble in her hand and setting it in her palm, offering it to the dog. "Just try one. If you really hate it, then..." Akemi stopped suddenly, and shook her head. "I'm negotiating with a dog. Come on, Kuroi – just try it."

After several seconds of what appeared to be careful deliberation, Kuroi leaned over and took the kibble nugget out of her hand. He chewed it, also thoughtfully, and swallowed. And then he did the strangest thing: he closed his eyes and turned his head, reminding Akemi very clearly of a child refusing to eat his vegetables.

"You are one spoiled mutt, you know that?" she muttered, pushing herself to her feet. "Is this my doing, or were you this bad when I found you? Congratulations. You win."

It didn't take her long to put something else together, despite her annoyance. She mashed a boiled egg in with some rice and added some of Hikari's warmed-over miso broth into the mix, and then set the bowl on the floor again. This time the meal was met with ardent enthusiasm; thus defeated, Akemi retired to her bedroom, carrying her bowl of soup. She wasn't even sure why she was bothering, other than the fact that the dog was injured and she really did still feel bad for it. _Particularly since the whole thing was entirely Takashi's fault_.

At the thought of her fiancé, Akemi felt her features pull into a scowl. Something about his visit the day before had left her feeling strangely unsettled, and now that she had some energy to speak of, a shower sounded incredibly appealing.

***

_Vile._

There was no other word for it: dog food was completely vileand borderline inedible. Shigure now had new sympathy for Kyou and his aversion to leeks; if he could have brushed his teeth to rid his mouth of the aftertaste, he would have. The concoction Hime-chan put down in place of the dog food wasn't much, but it was far superior to the kibble, and Shigure ate with relish. He was also fairly certain that sooner or later her goodwill was going to run out, and he was going to find himself faced with the option of eating dog food or nothing at all. Shigure fervently hoped it would not come to that point.

By the time he had finished and helped himself to a drink of water, then returned to Akemi's room, Shigure was pleasantly surprised to hear the shower running. Still walking gingerly on his injured forepaw, he made his way to the bathroom door, which Hime-chan had so obligingly left open. He lay down on the floor, using the small pile of Akemi's discarded pajamas as a pillow as he watched the blurred figure move behind the smoked glass doors, and for the first time it really hit him how blindingly _lucky_ he was for her to have been in the car with Takashi – or, as Shigure had started to refer to him: Bakashi.

The rush of water stopped, and the door slid open enough for Hime-chan to reach out and grab a towel from a nearby hook. She yanked the towel into the shower and dried off briskly before wrapping it around herself. The door then slid open and she came out, stepping delicately over Shigure, padding into the bedroom and changing into fresh pajamas. She sunk onto the bed, her hair still hanging down in damp clusters, and pulled the blankets over her.

"Oh, my god, I feel human again."

_Must be nice,_ Shigure mused silently as he carefully climbed onto the bed before settling down against her warmth. He noted that she didn't seem to be burning up quite as badly as she had been, which the Dog considered a good thing. He curled in upon himself, resting his head on her stomach and waiting for slumber to claim him again. The horrible experience with the kibble behind him, the day was shaping up to be a pretty good one, as far as these things went. A nice meal (eventually), glimpsing an attractive woman in the shower, sharing a warm bed with aforementioned attractive woman who was, at that moment, petting the top of his head. It was shaping up to be a good day, all things considered.

And then his ears caught the sound of a key scratching in the lock, and it took every ounce of willpower not to groan out loud.

"Akemi?" a voice called out. It was Takashi.

_Of course it's him. If he's come around looking for another quickie, he's going to have to move me first. _With that thought, Shigure settled in even more firmly, determined to stand his ground and bite any hand that tried to dislodge him. But as he was steeling his resolve, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Akemi looked incredibly pained by this surprise visit from her beloved.

"I'm in here, Taka," she called back, adding under her breath, "just like I was last time."

Takashi appeared in her doorway, still in his coat. He hadn't even bothered to take off his shoes. The man shot Shigure a disapproving glare, which the Dog met with maddening placidity.

Akemi took in her fiancé's appearance, and her brow contorted quizzically. "...Taka?"

He checked his phone, then flipped it shut and looked up. "Hey, babe – I hate to break it to you, but I just found out I have to go out of town again."

"_Again?_ Taka, you just got back!"

He offered her a placating smile that Shigure could see was patently insincere. "I know, honey. It's just going to be for a couple of days. I'd ask you to come along--"

_Sure you would._

"—but you're still not feeling well, and I'd hate to ask you to travel while you're sick."

_Really?_ Shigure thought, clamping his jaws tightly shut._ That's funny, because you didn't seem to have any trouble asking her to sate your libido while she's sick._ He glanced at Hime-chan out of the corner of his eye, and he wasn't sure whether she was annoyed or relieved at this latest development.

"Oh. Well... I guess – I mean, they obviously need you—"

"They really do."

"And you're right – I really don't feel like going anywhere."

"And you've got to take care of Kuroi, here, right?"

Shigure looked up sharply – since when had Bakashi shown even an iota of concern for _his_ well-being? He looked more carefully at the man's face – his expression was open, honest, and utterly without guile.

_He's up to something._

Even Hime-chan seemed to have trouble with the direction this conversation had taken. "...Right. I've made a commitment to take care of him," she said carefully, "even though—"

"Even though it was my fault he was hit in the first place," he finished for her, looking appropriately sheepish.

_Definitely up to something._ With an elaborate yawn, the Dog stretched and, still mindful of his movements, climbed off the bed and padded toward the door. He saw Takashi stiffen and he smirked to himself; most people had no idea how much their body language gave away. With slow steps, Shigure passed by Takashi, sniffing him idly as he went. The components comprising the man's scent flashed through Shigure's brain: soap, aftershave, clothing detergent, starch, cigarette smoke, the greasy scent of a diner, chewing gum, and there, tucked amid the tangle of smells, were a familiar synthetic vanilla scent and the earthy, musky scent of sex.

The Dog was completely unsurprised.

He maintained the charade as he made his way to the kitchen for a drink of water. If there were only a way to give Akemi his sense of smell, Bakashi would be done for. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible, so something more worthy of Shigure's talents would have to suffice. He couldn't even get his hands – paws – on the man's cell phone. A true pity.

As he left the kitchen, Shigure spied a briefcase and an overnight bag by the door. He gave the items a cursory sniff on his way back to hime-chan's bedroom but something made him stop and go back for another check. He sniffed again. The vanilla perfume was all over the overnight bag, and he wondered if Taka's mystery woman had packed his bag for him. But when he turned his attention to the briefcase again, there was something else, something that was nearly lost in the scent of leather. Working very carefully, Shigure nosed the briefcase onto its side, and began working at the clasps with a claw.

_Come on, Hime-chan, keep him talking…_

***

Akemi followed Kuroi with her eyes as he walked past Takashi; when he passed by with only a curious sniff, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. _Good dog,_ she thought, fervently, before turning her attention back to her fiancé. Something wasn't copacetic there; in fact, something was seriously fishy in Denmark.

"You're _admitting_ it was your fault?" It was hard to keep the dubious note from her voice.

"Well, I was driving the car, and..." Here he paused, and Akemi wondered if it was her imagination or if he really did look like the words left a bad taste in his mouth. "And you did point out that I was driving a little too fast for those back roads."

Yes, something was definitely up. Taka knew how to be conciliatory, and he was good at it, but he was laying it on a bit thick. It was possible he simply didn't want to upset her by leaving town so soon again after coming back.

_Possible,_ a soft voice inside her said, _but not likely._

"Where are you staying?" she asked. "I'd like to have the number, in case there's an emergency."

He hesitated, and a number of tiny alarm bells went off in the back of her head. "I'll call you when I get there – I don't have the number on me."

Anger flared up in her chest, but Akemi beat it back. Nothing good ever came from jumping to conclusions, after all. Even though she'd asked him the name of the hotel first, and he didn't seem inclined to share it. _I'm probably reading too much into it anyway – I'm not feeling well, and I could probably do with a little more sleep, and—_

But her train of thought was cut short by the appearance of Kuroi in the doorway. He padded into the room, and it wasn't until he reached the side of the bed did she realize that something red was hanging from his jaws. Something red, and made of what appeared to be lace and satin.

"What on earth...?" she breathed. "Kuroi, drop it."

Obediently, Kuroi let the material float soundlessly to the floor, and Akemi found herself staring at a pair of women's red lace thongs. Her head snapped up and she looked at Takashi, only to see that the blood had drained out of his face.

"What are those, Takashi?"

Takashi's face went rigid with fury and he vanished from the doorway. "That fucking mutt went into my briefcase!" he yelled from the living room.

This was not the answer she was looking for. Far from it, in fact. Akemi pushed herself out of bed and stormed down the hallway after him. Sure enough, Takashi's briefcase was on its side, wide open, and he was standing over its gaping jaws, fuming. But Akemi cared very little about that at the moment. "What the hell are you doing with _women's underwear_ in your briefcase, Takashi?"

"Your _dog_ opened my _briefcase!_"

"I don't give a damn what the dog did, Takashi! I want you to tell me why you have a pair of _red lace thongs_ in your _fucking_ briefcase!"

He rounded on her then, glaring down at her with hard eyes. "You can't honestly be surprised, Akemi."

"That your briefcase moonlights as a lingerie drawer? You're kidding, right?"

"Come on. I was never important to you. You always had your work, your friends, and now your stupid _dog_. Where did I fit in, huh? It's not my fault I had to find someone who understood me."

Akemi was shocked into silence, and found she could only blink at him while she absorbed this new piece of information. "So you're telling me," she said slowly, "that it's _my fault_ that you cheated on me. That, even after agreeing to marry you, be your wife, and spend the rest of my life with you, it's somehow my responsibility to..." She trailed off in disbelief. "My god, what does that even _mean_? She 'understands' you?"

"I knew you were going to react this way," he sighed.

"Oh, you did, did you?" She wanted him out. Out of her house, out of her neighborhood, out of her life, and if she could have managed it, out of Japan. "How long?"

"Huh?"

"Don't make me ask you again, Takashi! How long were you sleeping with her?"

He hesitated. Heat that had nothing to do with her fever surged through Akemi's body, and she marched to the front door, opening it and yanking the diamond ring from her finger.

"A month! Only a month!"

Akemi looked at Takashi; he was pale, sweating – frantic. He was panicking. Casually, she tossed the ring in her palm, watching his eyes as he tracked the movement of the diamond, up and down, over and over again. "Were there any more?"

"... A couple?"

She clenched the ring in her hand, drawing back as if to throw it. "Numbers, Takashi! Give me numbers!"

"I don't know—"

"_You lost count?"_

"No! Nothing like that!"

"So, what – a series of random, casual flings carried out over the course of... months?"

"Basically..."

"How _many_ months?" He didn't reply right away. "_How many months, Takashi?_"

He cleared his throat. "...About eighteen."

And with that, Akemi's world fell away. "Eighteen months," she echoed.

"...Give or take."

She took a deep, steadying breath. There was a baseball bat under the bed, but she was reasonably certain that Takashi wouldn't wait around for her to retrieve it. "I have one last question," she said, striving to keep the furious tremor from her voice.

"Okay...?"

"How hard is it to find three months' salary in traffic?" And with that, she threw the ring as hard as she could, a platinum and diamond projectile, toward the busy street.

"You fucking bitch!" he bellowed, rushing towards her. Akemi wasn't certain whether Takashi was heading for her or the door – either was entirely possible – but the sudden low growl by her side rendered the question moot. She glanced down to see Kuroi, his hackles raised dangerously, his lip curled back in a snarl, revealing sharp white teeth.

"Get out, Takashi."

"That thing probably has rabies, you know," he spat, grabbing his bag and his hastily-shut briefcase, and storming out.

"I'll take my chances!" she yelled, slamming the door and leaning against it. The rush of fury pounded in her ears, and as the adrenaline began to ebb, Akemi's hands started to shake. She pressed her back against the door, and slowly she sunk down to the floor as the reality of the situation sank in. Akemi shuddered, her head dropping forward to rest in her hands. Her palms were wet with tears before she realized it. Furry warmth was curled against her leg and when she peeled her hands away from her face, she saw that Kuroi lay in a half circle, his back pressed against her thigh. His head was resting on his uninjured paw, and his eyes were closed.

_He's probably relieved,_ she thought, bringing one hand down to stroke the top of his head.

***

Shigure was at a loss. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd done, or why he'd done it. He wasn't even sure at what point it had occurred to him that Takashi would even try to strike Akemi. He only knew that Takashi was going to lose a hand if he tried.

_At least he's gone. She's got to know she's better off without him._

Behind him, Akemi cried quietly – there were no histrionics, no drawn-out tantrums, only ragged, uneven breaths punctuated by wet sniffling sounds. It carried on for a while – Shigure had no idea how long – and then... stopped.

"Bastard," she breathed, scrubbing her hands over her face and pushing herself to her feet to pad wearily back down the hall to her bedroom. Shigure followed quietly and eased onto the bed as she drew the blankets over herself, then lay down, pressed against the lump of covers. Her breathing was uneven and hitched occasionally, but she did not cry again. He smiled a little. _Attagirl._

Finally, Akemi's breathing slowed and deepened. Satisfied that she was down for the count, he indulged in a wide yawn before slinking beneath the warmth of the comforter for a nap as well.

_There we go,_ he thought, letting his head burrow into the pillow a bit. _Unless I am much mistaken, this is just about where we left off before Bakashi crashed the party. I seem to recall being petted at the time, but I think I can overlook that part for the moment._ The warmth of the bed sunk through fur and flesh, leaving him feeling heavy and content, hovering on the fuzzy edge of slumber, and once again life was good. Takashi was potentially playing in traffic, looking for that ring, which made it even better.

And then Akemi's phone vibrated on her nighstand, half a second before the chipper electronic tune's insistent trill, and Shigure began to realize that his chances for sleep were officially nonexistent. He felt Akemi jerk awake and he suppressed a groan, choosing instead to burrow completely under the covers. She answered the phone – not Shigure's first choice: what else was voicemail for?

"Hello?" She sounded nasally and congested – more than usual, even. There was a pause, during which time his ears picked up the faint electronic buzz of a male voice, and Akemi rolled onto her back as Shigure pulled his head out from the nest of blankets. "Yes, this is she. Can I help you?" A longer pause, and as Shigure's ears flicked forward to listen, the voice on the other end of the line started to sound incredibly familiar. He heard the name "Sohma" and the word "dog." Then he felt her go completely still. "Yes, that's correct."

Shigure held his breath, inching forward, listening intently. Akemi looked at him, and then looked quickly away. He could hear Hatori's voice, but couldn't quite make out all that was being said. It didn't matter; the Dog had a pretty good idea.

"Of course. I imagine you miss him terribly."

_Oh, hell._

"He's been no trouble at all, Sohma-san. By all means, whenever you'd like to--" Something like pain flashed across her features and she swallowed hard, but her voice was at odds with her expression: perfectly cheerful. "Tonight it is! I'm sure he'll be glad to go home."

More was said, but Shigure had stopped listening.

They'd found him. He was going home.


End file.
